	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROLAND GARROS

June 5, 2017

Alize Cornet

Paris, France

C. GARCIA/A. Cornet

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. It was the deepest match between two French women at Roland Garros for 40 years or something like that. What was the anticipation like for you and for this match? How do you think the whole atmosphere and everything went?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: Yeah, as I said before the match, it's always difficult to play against another French woman. I didn't play Caroline before or maybe a long, long time ago in ITF tournament.

I knew what to expect, but in the same time it was really a particular match, I think we both didn't play our best game, especially me. I had a lot of trouble to return her serve. With the wind, it was really not easy to play.

And mentally, of course, I was trying not to think about it, but I think the crowd really enjoyed the fact that we were both French and that, you know, they just -- we heard a lot of "Allez, Caro," "Allez, Alize," more than on the other matches. Like people wanted to show clearly who they were cheering for, so it was kind of a little bit weird. I was trying to stay in my match, which was not easy.

Again, in the end, not a great performance from me, but I can say maybe I'm happy that I lost against another French and she can continue the journey.

Q. Can you say a bit more about why it's more difficult to play another French player.
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: I don't know. It's just the way it is, you know. Maybe more pressure from the media, also, because everybody announced our match like since two days.

Also, because we know each other very well. So it's kind of weird, you know. If we know the opponent by heart and then you have to play against her, and it's like we read a little bit into each other's mind sometimes. And also for the crowd, of course, because it's 50/50. So it's not a real big atmosphere like you can have when you play against a foreigner.

So this makes everything -- everything makes it different.

Q. With the recent Fed Cup dramas in French tennis, how much extra tension was there in this match, if anything?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: Not that I felt so much. There was no tension. I think we were both focused on our match, and the handshake was very polite with a kiss. So, no, nothing to say about it.

Q. Did you notice the crowd cheered very loudly when you two kissed? I don't know if they were expecting some cold interaction, but it was very warm and there was a big cheering. You were both smiling?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: Warm, warm (smiling). It was the coldest kiss I had in my life, but it was a kiss (smiling). It's a good point already, and I was actually also surprised. I was not expecting that she wanted to give me a kiss.

And I liked it. I mean, it was good to finish on this note, you know, like I wouldn't have liked like just a handshake, like very cold. I'm not this kind of person. I'm a very nice person. I don't like the conflict. So I told her good luck, and I mean it.

Q. Looking at this quarterfinal lineup where there is no Grand Slam champion left in the draw, what do you make of that, and how just open and sort of an even-level playing field that is? Do you feel it's almost a missed opportunity? How does it weigh up for you?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: Yeah, when I think about the last eight playing, I feel, yeah, I feel like I could be one of them. I'm very disappointed for my match today, because I think that if I would have been playing my best tennis I could have won today.

But I was very, very far away from my best level. That would have been amazing to play my first quarterfinal ever here in tennis, especially after the three first matches that I did that were really amazing.

So of course I feel like I missed an opportunity, definitely. Pretty curious now to see the rest of the tournament who's gonna be strong enough mentally to go to the end.

Just too bad that it's not me, and I had 10 great days, and it's always tough when it's over.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. You were not able to play your normal level. Is it the wind? You didn't feel truly liberated. What happened?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: Well, first of all, Caroline served very well, returning with the wind was quite difficult. The wind really bothered me. But of course the wind flows for both.

But it really bothered me a lot. My legs didn't feel the same. I wasn't as dynamic as in my previous matches here.

It never felt like I was positioned well. That's not the wind's fault. That's my fault.

Mentally, I wasn't really 100% in my match. How do I explain it? I don't know. Things were going better towards the end, but of course at 4-1 when you're down 4-1, at one point I thought I could change things but I made some, you know, mistakes.

You know, if I had played 20 or 30% better, I think I could have maybe won the final set. Today it was not just -- it was just not a great day.

Q. When you played Radwanska, you said you felt physically well. When you came today on court you had this strap on your thigh. Was it preventive or because you were on pain?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: It was because I had some pain since yesterday, you know, during practice.

But these are little things that happen. When you're a tennis player, these things happen. You have all kinds of little pains here and there, and I don't like to wear straps, but for today, I figured that it could be good maybe to help that -- it could be good for the contracture. I didn't really feel anything. I was quite surprised to see that my thigh was just fine throughout the match.

Again, this is also something I could have managed better. I think I was very apprehensive, a bit nervous about my thigh, and maybe that's also one of the reasons I didn't really play the way I should have played.

Q. You said you tried to not pay attention to the fact that it's a Franco-French match, that the public is supporting both of you. You tried not to think about it, but you said that mentally you were not completely 100%. Do you think it may be due to that, because of these different things I just mentioned?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: I'm not sure I talked about feeling, about mental weakness.

Q. (off microphone.)
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: I understand what you are saying. It's very special. We have been talking about the match for a few days. You're playing Caroline. And of course each press conference, during each press conference, people have talked about some of the problems we have had.

I think we both really wanted to make it to the quarterfinals. It was the first time for her. It would have been the first time for me. And then the public, I think all these things combined plus the wind made it complicated. The wind was really blowing out there. She managed it much better than I did.

So I don't know if it's a mental issue. And then I don't think I managed my thigh very well. These are matches with a lot of tension, and if you don't start well, you know, things go very quickly and don't go the right way.

Q. You said you don't like conflicts. Does it bother you that we keep talking about it time and again?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: Yes.

Q. What do we do, then?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: Don't talk about it anymore. That would be a solution. I hate conflicts. I hate this situation. It's really taking a toll on me. People keep talking to me about Caroline, and it's a burden. I know what I did. I may have made mistakes, but I think at this point it would be wonderful to move on to something else.

I think time has come to move on, and there are things that are so much more important that we can talk about, especially after a match like this one. Maybe the performance would have been better if there hadn't been these little things in the background.

Q. You said in English that there was an opportunity for you. Do you feel that today's match was a missed opportunity for you?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: Absolutely, yes. Since the beginning of the tournament I have really believed in my chances. I knew I could go far.

The draw was not very good for me. I played better-seeded players than me. I, you know, was really excited and looking forward to going further. I thought I could, at one point, become the big surprise of the tournament.

I think I have to sort of think about this, take a step back, put things in perspective and draw lessons.

This is how you learn. It's a great learning experience. It's over, and now I need to move on to the next thing. Coming back to reality is very tough, especially after the French Open. Morally, it's very tough.

Very quickly I'm going to have to get ready for, you know, the grass season, so I'm going to go back home tomorrow and back to my daily routine.

But I know it's going to be tough for the first two days. But I hope that my experience from Roland Garros will help me.

Q. The media, do you think we could have an amazing final? It could be Kiki, Caroline. What do you think about that?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: Well, let's not go too fast. It's a long journey. And the further you go into the tournament, the more difficult it gets.

I have seen both of them play. I would probably go for Kristina, because she's extremely solid when she plays. She's both solid mentally and physically. Caroline plays very well. Do I think she can make it to the finals? I hope I'm wrong, but there's Svitolina, Pliskova, Halep. But especially Halep and Svitolina, they are tough players. So I think these are definitely the two ones who can go further. Halep and Svitolina.

But they won the doubles last year together, so if they were in the final, one against another, it would be amazing. It would be very electric. I think it would be amazing for everybody.

Q. Just to come back to this story between the two of you, the final image was very positive. You shook hands and you kissed. We asked Caroline. She said she couldn't remember what you said. Could you tell us what you told her?
ALIZÃ‰ CORNET: She wished me good luck, and we then kissed. I don't really know how it happened. I told her again, Good luck. I think I sort of pushed her with my shoulder, and, yeah, that was it. And I really -- I was very sincere. Now that she's defeated me, I hope she will make it very far into the tournament.

You know, it's a happy end except the fact that I lost.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297