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Alizé Cornet: “Rediscover those adrenaline rushes” – Tennis – WTA – Cincinnati

“How did you feel for your first official game in almost six months?
It’s not the same when you know that we will play the first WTA game of the restart, on the real circuit, the pressure is not the same. But I’m happy, I went. I knew I was ready, as ready as possible. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this player (American Caty McNally) whom I had never seen play, except maybe once on TV. I applied my game plan well, I made a super solid first set. After that there was a great reaction from him and I got a little tense, but overall it was a very solid game for a recovery. I almost felt like I hadn’t quit all these months so that’s a good sign.

The absence of public and line judges, is it disturbing?
At the time of the draw, the referee explained the procedure to us for ten minutes because many things have changed: the automatic announcements of faults since there are no linesmen, the collectors who can no longer touching the bottles or the towels, etc … It’s an adaptation. But once you’ve integrated it, it’s good. With the French circuit, I had already gotten into the habit of picking up my balls and going to get my towel. So there, having ball collectors is almost a luxury. There are only three per court, but it’s going really well. I didn’t feel more disturbed than that, I was really focused on my desire to win which was great.

I said to my coach: ” don’t mess around, you don’t shovel anyone! ”

You took part in the Elite Challenge and the UTS. What really changes when you return to the WTA Tour?
The Elite Challenge, I was playing 20 minutes from home. It’s not the same as when you cross the Atlantic to play one of the biggest tournaments of the year, followed by a Grand Slam. The expectations are not the same and neither are the objectives. I have trained well, I know more or less what my level is at the moment. As a result, the “non-expectations” I had for the Elite circuit are not the same thing at all. I want to win matches, get back into the mix and rediscover those adrenaline rushes that we can have on the circuit. But it’s a good thing, it’s good stress, it’s not crippling stress, it’s exciting stress, with the urge to do battle.

The situation of Guido Pella and Hugo Dellien, packages for Cincy and quarantined after the positive Covid-19 test of their physical trainer, did it scare you?
It worked me a bit. You have to be careful, even with my coach. I said to him: “Don’t mess around, you don’t shovel anyone! (Laughs) The decision is a bit excessive. It is not said that these players were in close contact with the trainer. With my coach, we manage to keep a certain distance. We wear masks all the time. When we eat, we are two meters from each other because the tables are made like that.

The tests are there to detect whether a player is positive or negative. We could have put them in isolation three or four days before the tournament, tested them every day and, if it was negative, allowed them to play the tournament. There we condemn Cincy to them, but we also condemn the US Open. Because what are they going to do after ten days of isolation? They will not be in good shape at all. It’s a bit hard. Guido is a guy I like, I’m a little sad for him. We are a little disgusted for the players concerned. “

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