Nicolas Mahut hits back at Marion Bartoli for her comments on the doubles game

World No. 3 in doubles Nicolas Mahut has hit back at former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli's comments regarding making changes to the doubles game.

During a recent interview, Bartoli commented, "I don’t understand all these doubles competitions all year round. I understand during the Grand Slams and the Olympics because doubles is part of tennis history. But I see now, these doubles players, they have crews like six people around them. They can afford to pay six people and they just play doubles. When I was a player, as a singles player, we couldn't afford to pay six people to travel with us full-time. They can afford to pay six people and they just play doubles! Why don’t you get some of that money to qualifiers, to someone who plays only Challengers? I just don’t understand because, in doubles, you just don’t make the same effort as a singles player. You don’t practice as much….they keep going, week in and week out, getting that money. I don’t know if we have to stop doubles completely, but to get less money and give that money to qualification and others, that should be a solution."

Nicolas Mahut hits back at Marion Bartoli's claims

Mahut took to Twitter to express his reaction to Bartoli's comments. 

Mahut said, "I'm jealous!!! I thought I had a large staff, can you introduce me to the doubles player who travels with 6 people please? 😊 @ bartoli_marion"

"If I follow your reasoning to the end concerning the notion of effort, you think then that women should not have the same PM (Prize money) as men in GS because not in BO5 !? I think you are wrong."

Daniel Vallverdú, the current coach of World No. 3 Karolina Pliskova and the former coach of Stan Wawrinka,  Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Grigor Dimitrov and Juan Martin Del Potro, also commented on Twitter to the comments by Bartoli, saying they were amusing and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Je suis jaloux!!! Moi qui pensais avoir un staff étoffé, peux tu me présenter le joueur de double qui voyage avec 6 personnes stp? ⁦😊@bartoli_marion⁩ https://t.co/h0g8hw1qak

— Nico Mahut (@nmahut) May 27, 2020

Si je suis ton raisonnement jusqu’au bout concernant la notion d’effort,tu penses alors que les femmes ne devraient pas avoir le même PM que les hommes en GC car pas en BO5!?🤔🙈Moi,https://t.co/JFi1P23IJb pense que tu te trompes de cibles ⁦#repartition https://t.co/h0g8hw1qak

— Nico Mahut (@nmahut) May 27, 2020

Amusing. Can’t take those comments seriously @josemorgado https://t.co/HSsZSuofuq

— Daniel Vallverdu (@danielvallverdu) May 27, 2020

Nicolas Mahut is a former World No. 1 in doubles and has won 4 Grand Slam men's doubles titles so far in his career. Marion Bartoli won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title after previously being runner-up in 2007 and announced her retirement from professional tennis in August 2013.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Xaxbpu