France’s Cornet bids farewell to tennis.

French stalwart Alize Cornet ended her career in the first round, saving three match points before going out 6-2, 6-1 to Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen.

The cheerful 34-year-old from Nice set the record for consistency with Roland Garros her 69th consecutive Grand Slam appearance, wrapping up on the covered Chatrier court.

Among that statistic are 20 straight appearances at her home Grand Slam, where she twice reached the fourth round.

Cornet ended with 545 career victories, achieving her highest ranking of 11th in 2009; the four-time French Olympian defeated world No. 1 players on four occasions.

The 2007 Roland Garros junior champion won six career titles, with her last coming in Gstaad in 2018.

“I have to take it all in, this will be a new chapter in my life,” Cornet said. “I want to (continue) writing and I have a plan ahead of me.

“But my lifestyle will change completely and that frightens me.

“My lifestyle will change completely and that frightens me. I’ve been a tennis player for 20 years and I need to find a purpose in life.

“I know I will find new projects and can blossom again, I know I can also be happy somewhere else.”

Cornet’s 72 overall participations at the majors is the third-longest in history after Serena (93) and Venus (81) Williams.

Main photo:- Alize Cornet career spanned 2004 -2024 – by WTATennis.com