Bartoli Will be TV Watching the Olympics, Not Playing

Written by: Staff on 24th July 2012

Bartoli Will be TV Watching the Olympics, Not Playing

epa03207033 French tennis player Marion Bartoli is in action during a training session within the Madrid Masters 1.000 tournament, also known as Mutua Madrid Open, at the Caja Magica sports premises in Madrid, central Spain, on 05 May 2012. The tournament runs until 13 May. EPA/JUAN CARLOS HIDALGO |

French Olympic exile Marion Bartoli will be watching the London Games with no small emotion after playing for two weeks on North American hardcourts. The former Wimbledon finalist finished her run with a quarter-final in Stanford and a final at the weekend in Carlsbad.

After losing 6-1, 7-5 to Dominika Cibulkova in the La Costa title match, Bartoli expressed both the frustration and the good side of missing the Games which start at the weekend on the grass of Wimbledon.

Due to a long-running dispute between the Bartoli family and the national federation, the 27-year-old will has been excluded by national tennis authorities. The French redecoration does not want the player’s coach-father Walter hanging around during team events, Bartoli, who last played Fed Cup for France in 2004, has continually disagreed and the result has been her exclusion from the Games team.

Bartoli will be following the Games from her home entertainment centre and not behind a racquet. “Well I’ll certainly be watching it,” said the world No. 10 whose powerful tennis nation will be represented only by compatriot Alize Cornet, the No. 54, on the women’s side.

“That will be, I think, a tough situation for everyone. But I hope that the French girl will be playing really well.”

And there is always the bright side of the situation: “I will get a chance to rest up for the next events in Montreal and Cincinnati,” said Bartoli. “And I won’t have to make a switch back to grass and then change again by travelling from Europe to North American to play on cement.”

The 27-year-old said that she is already looking ahead two weeks to her return to hardcourts in Montreal. “I hope I can continue to do well – and I think Serena (Williams) has a good shot for the gold medal.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Alize Cornet, Dominika Cibulkova, London Olympics, Marion Bartoli, Serena Williams, Wimbledon 2012, women tennis news