Alizé Cornet's Perfect Ending, Now Yes

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Although the farewell she received at Roland Garros 2024 lived up to her career, something remained unsettled within Alizé Cornet that she couldn't handle. She needed to return to the circuit, even if only for a few months, to leave on her own terms. That's how she announced her comeback in April to compete in three tournaments: La Bisbal d’Empordà, Rome, and Strasbourg. Obviously, returning to touch base at the Parisian Grand Slam was out of the question, so the final stops would be on grass: Nottingham and the Qualy of Wimbledon. Ultimately, Roehampton would be the place to witness her final goodbye, falling just one victory short of entering the main draw.

"The main reason I returned to the circuit was to play on grass once again," the 35-year-old French woman recounts in WTA. "I remember perfectly my first time on grass, I was 17 and played the Qualy at Roehampton. I remember defeating Monica Niculescu; it was painful to play against her, very difficult to beat her. Then I lost to Olga Govortsova, a very good grass court player, but I was told I was in as a lucky loser. I was excited to compete in my first Wimbledon main draw[…] If I think about it now, all the way traveled since then until being back here again…the feeling is as if I'm closing the circle," emotionally states the former world No. 11.

"If I stopped playing tennis for some reasons that disappeared after nine months of rest. All those expectations, all the pressure I used to put on myself, all that daily perfectionism, all the competition stress, and all those thoughts that arise from fear of losing. In these last years of my career, what I missed the most was having a bit more fun on the court," lists the prodigy from Nice. "During this time off, what I missed the most was the adrenaline, but adrenaline with fun. Now I finally found that balance; I have it now and didn't have it before, I feel like I'm 100% focused on my goals," she declares excitedly.

THE REAL ENDING

However, reality always ends up prevailing over dreams, even if it hurts. Despite using her protected ranking of #102, the Frenchwoman could only achieve four victories in five tournaments played, seeing how tough the competition can become after being disconnected for nine months. What was not a problem for Alizé was lowering her status by a couple of levels, playing in minor events, or having to go through a preliminary round. The French player sums it up well, stating that the goal has been achieved, the itch scratched, and unless there's a new surprise, this new ending of her career will be written in London.

"I was used to playing all the main draws of the Grand Slam tournaments, I even reached up to 69 consecutive ones! But it doesn't matter, I am humble enough to enjoy tennis even in the qualifying rounds. I love the game; I don't care if I play in a $25,000 tournament in the middle of nowhere or if I play on the Centre Court at Wimbledon. I still have that very strong childlike soul within me, when it comes to playing, I'll always be there. Now, this is the quality ending I was looking for, the perfect and true final chapter," concludes Cornet.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El final perfecto de Alizé Cornet, ahora sí