France’s Sports Minister David Douillet tells DirectMatin.fr that top Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli will not be chosen by the French Tennis Federation for the London Olympics. Apparently, the seventh-ranked Bartoli had the support of the the Sports Ministry, but the FFT has decided not to make an exception in its qualification criteria, which, like the ITF’s, states that a player cannot be eligible for the Olympics if she does not make herself available for Fed Cup twice during the two years that precede the Games.
Bartoli has only played two Fed Cup ties in career, both in 2004. She has refused to play other ties because she insists that her father, Walter, be allowed to coach her at the ties; the FFT does not allow private coaching during Fed Cup weekends. The United States and other countries have the same rule.
The decision will be a blow to Bartoli, as the Olympics will be played on grass at Wimbledon, where she reached the final in 2007.