PARIS -- Alize Cornet, the former world No. 11 and a six-time champion on the WTA Tour, officially retired from tennis following her first-round 6-2, 6-1 loss to Qinwen Zheng on Tuesday at the French Open.
Having previously announced that the French Open would be her final tournament on tour, and needing a wild card for entry, Cornet was given a ceremony by the tournament on court at Philippe-Chatrier following the match's conclusion.
During the tribute, a montage of Cornet's career played on the videoboard as most of the crowd remained in their seats and Cornet wiped away tears.
Cornet, 34, then addressed the crowd in French, thanking her family, her team, the French Tennis Federation, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo and the fans for their support throughout her long career.
Cornet made her major main draw debut at the French Open in 2005 as a 15-year-old and advanced to the second round before losing to fellow Frenchwoman Mauresmo, who appeared with Cornet during the ceremony. Cornet acknowledged the full-circle moment in her speech.
On Friday, she told reporters the French Open has been a special place throughout her career.
"Roland Garros represents 20 years of my life," Cornet said. "It was my first tournament. It was my first Grand Slam tournament when I was 15, and it will be my 20th this year. This is where I wanted to say farewell to professional tennis. I am glad to have reached that point in my life where I can say goodbye in front of my fans and my family.
"Roland Garros is a love story that was not always easy, and I think it's the case also for all the French tennis players. So I'm delighted to have chosen my last tournament, because it's a lot of symbol[ism] for me."
The 2007 French Open junior champion, Cornet ends her career having appeared in 72 Grand Slam main draws. Her streak of having played in 69 consecutive major main draws is an Open era record. Cornet reached her only major quarterfinal at the 2022 Australian Open. She won her first WTA title in Budapest in 2008, and her last title came at the Swiss Open in 2018. She played in 15 finals throughout her career, most recently at the Jasmin Open in 2022.
Cornet also was part of France's winning team at the 2019 Billie Jean King Cup, then known as the Fed Cup.
Known for her giant-slaying prowess, Cornet recorded 25 victories over top-10 players throughout her career. She had three consecutive wins over Serena Williams during the 2014 season, including at Wimbledon, and she ended Iga Swiatek's 37-match winning streak, also at Wimbledon, in 2022.
Cornet had been in attendance on Monday to watch 14-time tournament champion Rafael Nadal play in his likely final match at the event.
Before she officially walks away from the sport, Cornet will play in doubles, alongside Fiona Ferro, and mixed doubles, with Nicolas Mahut, when both draws get underway later this week at the French Open.