“It Could Be Better Separated”: Alize Cornet Raises Serious Concerns at WTA Strasbourg Open

Alize Cornet is playing at the WTA Strasbourg Open, the last warm-up tournament before the French Open 2020. World No.51 Cornet will face Polona Hercog in the opening round. The duo has faced six times, with Cornet leading the head-to-head 5-1.

Recently, Cornet expressed apprehensions about the upcoming French Open after lamenting the presence of too many fans at the Strasbourg Open. The tournament has allowed entry to 2500 fans, and the Frenchwoman feels social distancing protocols are not being followed.

Cornet has raised concerns about the proximity between the players and the public, claiming that the sanitary conditions are not adequate.

“I find that here, in Strasbourg, there are too many audiences. I think the players are not comfortable with it. The fact that there are people in the stands is not necessarily bad, but these people meet in the aisles with us, ask a lot of photos and autographs from all the players and it’s hard to refuse. I’m glad there is an audience, but I think it could be better separated,” said Cornet, expressing her reservations.

Alize Cornet terms it paradoxical

Cornet highlighted the contradiction in social distancing rules. While the players were locked inside the hotel and not given permission to go out, they were allowed to rub shoulders with people in the stadium.

Furthermore, she hoped that the situation will be handled better at Roland Garros, which starts next week. The French Open has announced that it will limit the spectators to 5,000 daily, after initially allowing 11,500 fans.

However, the tournament director Denis Naegelen has come out with a 66-page health protocol, indicating that they weren’t putting players inside a bubble. He asserted that the double security and one-way circuits don’t allow the public to meet the players. Moreover, authorities would ensure that they sanitize the rooms and courts.