WATCH: “I was already crying while watching Nadal’s game yesterday,” Alize Cornet in tears after the her final match of her career ends in a loss to Qinwen Zheng

The 34-year-old gave her all but had no answer to Zheng's powerful game and emotions overwhelmed her when she closed a chapter of her life. 

WATCH: “I was already crying while watching Nadal’s game yesterday,” Alize Cornet in tears after the her final match of her career ends in a loss to Qinwen Zheng

Qinwen Zheng, Alize Cornet, Rafael Nadal (Images via Imago, X)

Alize Cornet bid farewell to tennis after her first-round loss to China’s Qinwen Zheng 6-2, 6-1 in the ongoing Roland Garros. Following her loss, the Frenchwoman said the thought of retirement while watching Rafael Nadal play his possible final match in Paris against Alexander Zverev made her cry. 

Cornet has participated in the French Open for the last 20 straight years and is a record holder for making consecutive appearances (69th) in Grand Slam events. The 34-year-old gave her all but had no answer to Zheng’s powerful game and emotions overwhelmed her when she closed a chapter of her life. 

YouTube video
I was already crying watching Nadal's match yesterday… I've been preparing for this moment for weeks, but I think we're never ready when the time comes to say goodbye. It's quite a page in my book that is being turned, a page of 30 years since I started tennis at 4 years old. 
Alize Cornet said after the match 

Cornet announced her retirement last month and arrived in Paris after a Round of 32 defeat to Emma Navarro at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. On the other hand, Zheng came on the back of a quarterfinal appearance at the Rome Open where she lost to Coco Gauff. 

Alize Cornet played her first Roland Garros at the age of 15

Back in 2005, 15-year-old Alize Cornet made her debut at the Grand Slam when she received the wild card to play in the French Open. She got the wild card again to play the final match of her career in Paris.

Alize Cornet
Alize Cornet (Image via Imago)
It was my first Grand Slam tournament when I was 15, and it will be my 20th this year. This is where I wanted to say farewell to professional tennis.
Alize Cornet said during the press conference ahead of the match 

Cornet also stands third on the list of players with the most Grand Slam appearances (72). In her career, she lifted six singles and three doubles titles on the WTA Tour.

In Grand Slam singles events, Cornet’s best result came in 2022, when she made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. While in the other three Grand Slam events, Cornet was able to reach the fourth round. 

The 34-year-old hogged the limelight in 2014 when she defeated Serena Williams in three events. She reached her best in the rankings when she became World No. 11 in 2009.

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