Alize Cornet’s retirement from professional tennis seemed to be set in stone after her emotional first-round loss to Zheng Qinwen at Roland Garros last year. The 35-year-old Frenchwoman appeared ready to call it a career, bidding farewell during a tribute on Court Philippe-Chatrier. As a video montage of her illustrious career played on the big screen, Cornet wiped away tears, marking what seemed like the final chapter. However, it turns out that the farewell ceremony was premature—the 35-year-old has decided that being away from the tour isn’t for her, at least not just yet.
In a surprising twist, she announced her comeback at the Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole, a WTA 250 tournament in France, where she will return as a wildcard entry. The news has confirmed what some had speculated after Cornet shared a video of herself practicing a few days ago. The tournament, which runs from April 14 to April 20, will be played indoors on clay with a total prize pool of $275,094.
Though it has only been ten months since Cornet’s retirement, the fact that players must rejoin the anti-doping program six months before returning to the tour suggests that Cornet made her decision to come back just four months into her retirement.
Cornet’s career has been remarkable. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 11 in 2009 and holds the women’s record for the most consecutive Grand Slam tournaments played—an impressive streak of 69 straight majors that stretched from the 2007 Australian Open to the 2024 French Open.
