Wimbledon star hits out at rules and unfair treatment after crying on court

Alize Cornet has hit out at Wimbledon rules following her second-round defeat to defending champion Elena Rybakina. The French star lost in straight sets and suffered a knee injury late on which left her in tears on Centre Court.

Experienced Cornet was appearing at her 16th Wimbledon. She eased past Japan’s Nao Hibino in the first round to set up a clash with Kazakhstan’s Rybakina.

It was routine for Rybakina in the first set, clinching it 6-2 in convincing fashion. The second set was much closer, with the 24-year-old ultimately winning on a tie-break.

Speaking to the media after the match, Cornet criticised Wimbledon rules regarding the number of tickets she could give to family and friends. The 33-year-old said the gap between tickets players get on the outside courts compared to those on the show courts is not fair.

Cornet said: “No, for me the biggest issue on this tournament was, yeah, the difference between today I played on Centre Court, and I had basically 40 tickets to give away. On my first round, I had two. That explains everything.

Read more… Wimbledon star Cornet in tears after nasty fall as Rybakina rushes to help

“Nobody could come. I couldn’t even invite like one of my best friends who was there.

“Two tickets on the outside court, it’s too little. Then you have a huge gap and you get 40 when you play on Centre Court.

“You need to give a little more credit to players that play on the outside courts. This tournament exists because of all the players, not only the ones that play on the big courts.”

Cornet was then questioned if the US Open has a similar system in place. She said: “It’s better. No, the biggest gap is here in Wimbledon. In the other tournaments, you get like four, six, you know, at least a little bit to invite your friends.

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“So every year I’m thinking the same, I’m like, yeah, if you want to – everybody is asking me for tickets. If the schedule puts me on Court 10, I cannot give you anything. It’s a shame, but it’s the rule.”

Cornet suffered a painful knee injury at 5-5 in the second set when she twisted and fell to the ground. The teary star required heavy strapping in a lengthy medical timeout and the issue ultimately hampered her from producing a comeback.

Rybakina knew she was in a game, especially in the second set. She said: “I started the match with good energy, but it became tougher in the second. I wasn’t pushing as good with the legs.

“That was a tricky, long game (at 5-5). So, a tough match, but I’m happy to win in two sets and reach another round.”

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