Marion Bartoli on Djokovic vs Nadal: “I think that the past confrontations came back in Novak’s head”

Former world No. 7 Marion Bartoli commented on the match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and said it was not as spectacular as in the past. The French ex-tennis player spoke with RMC and commented on the Serbian's victory in the second round of the Olympic Games.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion dominated the match from start to finish, and despite a small reaction from Nadal in the second set, Nole ultimately secured the win at Philippe Chatrier, marking another early elimination for Nadal at Stade Roland Garros, albeit this time during the Olympic tournament.

“Novak was completely above," Bartoli said. "He was able to maneuver Rafa, make him play in areas that he doesn’t like, and we could see it was difficult on his side supports, especially on the back side where he was often late. But Novak had a moment of deconcentration, Rafa got into the breach, and I think that the past confrontations came back in Novak’s head, we felt the tension.”

Djokovic was asked during the press conference if he feels a sort of 'brotherhood' with Nadal after so many years competing closely, but the Serbian denied it: "No, there is no brotherhood. We are more rivals and colleagues. It’s hard to be close. There’s a lot of classified information, so at this level you can’t get too close to your rival,” he said.

Read also

"There is no brotherhood": Novak Djokovic explains lack of friendship with 'rival' Rafael Nadal

“We have been playing this sport for a long time, I hope that in the future we can improve our relations. We share a part of our life, the truth is I would like to see our relationship improve in the future. Our lives will change one day and maybe we can share more things," Nole added.

Djokovic's victory tilts the balance in his favor to 31-29 after 60 matches, the most prolific rivalry in the Open Era. The world No. 2 did not want to speculate whether this match would be the last of their rivalry but wished Nadal all the best: "We’re going forward,” he said, “We’ll see if there are other games in the big tournaments.”

Read also

Inside Nadal's preference for camaraderie over comfort at the Paris Olympics

“We had epic duels, the longest Grand Slam finals in history, 60 games total. I don’t know how he feels or what his plans are. Maybe it won’t be the last time we see each other on the field. I wanted to be aggressive in this game, make him move as much as possible but I wish him all the best for his future."

“Back in 2006 (first match in Paris), I don’t think we could have thought we would play in almost 20 years time on the same court in the Olympic Games. I think we will eventually appreciate this match very much, not just for our rivalry, but for the sport itself. There was a lot of attention and a lot of interest towards our match today, so it benefits all of us. It’s unfortunate that he was not at his best, but I did everything I could to make him uncomfortable on court.”