‘Being booed hurt more than the injury itself’ – Cornet blasts Roland-Garros crowd

The Roland-Garros fans can be a rowdy bunch at the best of times – but usually they can be counted upon to get behind a French player.

Alizé Cornet, however, found herself in an unusual position on Saturday, being booed by the home fans as she retired from her third-round match against Qinwen Zheng due to injury.

The 32-year-old – who has already suggested this could be her last year on tour – was in tears as she left Court Philippe-Chatrier with an abductor tear that she had suffered two days ago in her match against Jelena Ostapenko.

But she said her distress was not just due to the physical pain she was suffering.

“What is amazing that people dared to boo me on the court when I had to abandon the match, and it was because I was in pain,” she said in her press conference. “But sometimes the French audience surprises me and not always in the right direction.

“Iit hurt more than my injury itself. But, yes, you know, you can’t generalise things. It was just a handful of people in the stadium so maybe they made a lot of noise. But it’s really too much when you see everything I’ve been giving on the court for so many years. I think it would have been far easier for me not to come on to the court, not to put myself, make myself vulnerable with this injury.

“So, yeah, no, it’s a real pain because it’s unfair and when things are unfair it hurts. But once again most of the people are no doubt sad for me and understand what’s happening, but this handful of idiots really, really, really makes you feel bad.”

Asked if she would be back at Roland-Garros again, Cornet refused to give a firm answer, saying, “I don’t know.”

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