Paris (AFP)

The cordial agreement before the final clash: a few hours before they entered the Masters 1000 in Paris, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, fighting for the place of the world's number one, appeared relaxed and complicit. Even though their competitive spirit should quickly regain the upper hand.

The two best players in the world together in training, joking like two friends, on the eve of an important tournament, it's not so common. However, on Saturday the Spaniard and the Serbian hit the ball in a warm and funny atmosphere. Almost as if nothing had happened.

"It is true that we had not trained together for years, it was a bit strange," said the Serbian Monday in a press conference. "When I see him on the other side of the net, it usually means that I'm in the semifinals or the final for a major tournament," he added.

"It was very pleasant, it was very intense, the competition was there but in a respectful way," said Djoko.

Same bell side "Rafa". "To think that rivalry should lead us to avoid ourselves is not really my conception of the sport.Outside competition, our relations are completely normal," he told reporters Sunday.

Which of the two will end the year N.1 worldwide? None seems to want to think about it yet. At least not openly.

"If at the end of the season I'm number 1, I'd be happy, but I've already said, my goal now is not to be N.1, but to organize my program to last the most long time possible, "said the Majorcan.

- "Give the best" -

As for Djokovic, he prefers to focus on each match without focusing on the issues in the longer term.

"I have to play my best game and see where it will be, to be number 1, I have to win all my matches, I am aware," said the Serb on Monday.

But for him too, it is better not to think too much about the classification. "This type of calculation is never good for a player's state of mind and it deprives us of vital energy, which can undermine our game a little bit."

If he finishes the year at the top of the ATP ranking, Novak Djokovic will match the record of Pete Sampras, who has made it six times.

But the throne of the Serb is today threatened. Whatever happens during the Paris week, Djokovic will give his throne to Nadal the next day because he will lose on that date the points collected a year ago at the London Masters where the Spaniard, injured, was absent.

- Rafa in a strong position -

And mathematically, "Rafa" is in a strong position to finish 2019 on the throne of world tennis for the fifth time in his career.

Unlike Djokovic, a title at Bercy would ensure he finished the year with the bib N.1, regardless of the results of the Serb in London.

But if he is the undisputed king on the clay of Roland Garros, the Spaniard has never won the hard indoor Bercy. He will benefit this year from the package, announced Monday, Roger Federer (N.3), he could have found in half.

The half of the Majorcan table is clearer than the Serbian, who could find Greek Stefanos Tsisispas (N.7) in the quarters and then the Russian Daniil Medvedev form of the moment and who beat him during their last two confrontations, in quarters in Monte Carlo and in half in Cincinnati.

But on the sporting level, Bercy traditionally succeeds much better at Djokovic, who holds the record of titles (4). On the other hand, Nadal has only been involved six times in his career, with mixed results: his only final (lost) goes back to 2007, and his last appearance ended in 2017 with a package before his quarter of final against Filip Krajinovic.

© 2019 AFP