Even if Alizé Cornet touched on the cold realities of tennis circuit life as she bid good-bye to all that on Court Philippe Chatrier on Tuesday afternoon, there was a heart-warming symmetry to the Frenchwoman's adieux.
In 2005, as a 15-year-old, the French tennis federation, which organises the French Open in Paris offered her a wildcard – tennis speak for an invitation into the main draw of the singles. It was her first Grand Slam tournament.
She lost to compatriot and third seed Amélie Mauresmo in the second round after beating Alina Jidkova who was nearly 600 places above her in the WTA rankings.
In 2024, with her ranking at 106, motivation decreasing and retirement judicious, the federation invited her once again to the Roland Garros stadium in the leafy western fringes of Paris for her last outings as a professional.
Seventh seed Qinwen Zheng made it a simple outing. The 21-year-old from China dispatched Cornet 6-2, 6-1.
Zheng offered a classy ovation to Cornet after the 83-minute annihilation.
Mauresmo was at the end too in her guise as French Open tournament director. The former world number one and tennis federation boss Gilles Moretton led the applause after Cornet was presented with a trophy to hail her career and extend to 69 the record streak of consecutive appearances at the Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne – where the run started in 2007 – Paris, London and New York.
Change
"Since I was 15-years-old and my first Roland Garros here, I've been living for tennis most of the time," Cornet reflected an hour or so after the defeat.
"I organized my whole life around it," she added. "It's a lot of work, a lot of sacrifices so at the end when you have to turn that page and when you realize it's over, it's a void. And you have to fill it in another way and find some stuff that makes you happy."
Cornet, 34, has laid out the lines. Four years ago she published Sans compromis – a book about her life on the tour. She says she plans to write more.
"The lifestyle will change completely," she said. "That frightens me, because I have been working as a tennis player for 20 years. I need to find purpose again in my life. I need to plan ahead, to see and understand what I'm going to become.
"I know that I can work on myself and that I can work out a new state of mind. I am a resourceful person. I know that I will find new projects where I can blossom again."
Honours
During her time on the court, Cornet reached a career high of number 11 in 2009 just before she hit her twenties.
But even though she never breached the top 10, she upset a fair few of the leading ladies including Serena Williams on her way to six singles crowns. Three doubles titles also adorn her trophy cabinet.
A run to the last eight at the Australian Open in 2022 remains her best showing at a Grand Slam event.
"The quarter-finals in Australia was the source of a lot of emotions," she said. "My win over Serena was strong, intense, it was a source of great joy. But the quarter-finals ... I had been running after a quarter-final for such a long time.
"I was already 32-years-old. It was a great highlight of my career. It was a beautiful, beautiful moment of my life."
On Tuesday, bosses of the women's tour added their tribute.
A career-high ranking of World No.11, six singles titles on the Hologic WTA Tour, and a record 69 consecutive Grand Slam appearances 👏
— wta (@WTA) May 28, 2024
Thank you for an amazing career, @alizecornet! #MerciAlizé pic.twitter.com/YeeUwHlK0m
"Thank you for an amazing career," the WTA said on social media and posted photographs of her career highlights on the WTA website.
"I'd like to be remembered as a genuine player who shared all her emotions with everyone all throughout her career with a fighting spirit," Cornet said.
"I'd like them to remember someone who is a passionate tennis player, who likes to fight and who could die for it.
"I think I showed it several times. People may love me or not for that type of personality but this is what brought me until here."
The standing ovation and cheers as she departed centre court for the last time as a player should leave her little room for doubt.
