French Open: Amid Dominic Thiem Controversy, Retiring Alize Cornet Turns Grateful to Federation for Their Unending Support

The French Open still has more than a week to kick off and has already started to give out shocking updates to fans. Just hours after the authorities triggered controversy by denying wild card entries to lower-ranked former finalists like Dominic Thiem and Simona Halep, another example of favoring a local WTA star came forward with Alize Cornet‘s entry.

Thiem was a finalist at Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019 and yet he didn’t get a wildcard this year and will have to go through the qualifying rounds if he wants a chance to play the Grand Slam. But Cornet is meanwhile happy with her selection.

Recently, the 34-year-old French player came forward to thank the authorities for blessing her with an opportunity to be a part of the major event. She posted an update on X in which she highlighted the 20-year-long gap in earning a spot in the French Open, which she last played in 2005.

Along with expressing excitement for being graced with a spot in the major event, she also thanked the authorities for the wild card entry. “Thank you @FFTennis for allowing me to choose my outing thanks to this wild card. I couldn’t dream of better,” Cornet wrote.

Besides that, she also cheered for her younger self, reminiscing the last time she became a part of the event, while she was just 15. “And to this 15-year-old girl: you didn’t do too badly, little one,” she added, finding it hard to contain her emotions.

Although it turned out to be a cause of celebration for the French WTA star, it also emerged as a reason to trigger more debates. Thiem, who made it to the finals of the French Open two times in his career, was denied a wild card because of the fact that he failed to enter the rankings criteria. As the WTA star hailed her entry, it became the reason for smiles for some and grunts for others.

Locals celebrate wild cards while former contenders crave positions

The French Open recently unveiled the list of wild cards which came as a shock to many. Dominic Thiem, who recently announced that this year is going to be his last one as a professional player, was unable to find a spot in the tournament, which could possibly have been the last grand slam of his career. Along with him, Emma Raducanu also seems to be struggling with her position, as she recently made a comeback after spending a long time recovering from multiple injuries.

Instead of these, the wild card entry list appeared to be favoring the locals as it included names of French tennis stars like Alexandre Muller and Alize Cornet. While there’s still no reason given out by the concerned authorities, it still remains to be seen if they consider a few changes in the positions.