“Struggling Even More Than Us”: Alize Cornet Sympathizes With Lower-Ranked Players

Life as an athlete is extremely hard, especially during a pandemic-hit situation like this. The economy has taken a huge blow everywhere and it affects the tennis circuit also. 30-year-old Alize Cornet feels players ranked below the Top 100 are the most troubled ones. 

Why does the French tennis star feel this way? In a recent chat with ‘The Team,’ Cornet spoke about the dreadful events that are currently prevailing in the tennis scene. WTA and ATP players are facing a lot of challenges when it comes to enjoying their profession. 

With COVID-19 still looming large in several parts of the world, tournament organizers are forced to pull out from the calendar or impose massive restrictions when hosting their events. Furthermore, the prize pool is also reduced to an extent, which in turn massively affects the competitors. 

“It’s a Big Challenge” – Alize Cornet Praises Next-Gen Players

A lot of athletes are left helpless due to tournaments pulling out of the calendar. In fact, players ranked below the Top 100 mark are the ones who suffer the most, and Cornet emphasized it in her latest interview. 

She mentioned how the prize money of organized tournaments are getting cut down by 10-25%. This is a huge number when considering small tournaments that offer little prize money.

“Our greatest chance is to be able to play the Grand Slams because that’s where things are going the least and that finances our season. But for that, you have to be in the 100. I worry about the players who are not in the 100 and who are dependent on the smallest tournament,” Cornet mentioned (Quotes translated from French via Google).  

“You really have to have empathy for all these people who are struggling even more than us. A whole economy is shaking badly,” she added. 

There has been a drastic reduction in the number of WTA tournaments this year. While the reason needs no explanation, players are suffering due to it. As Cornet mentioned, athletes placed on the lower end of the rankings are the ones most affected. 

The WTA Linz which is currently taking place in Austria gives away total prize money of $202,500. The WTA  finals which was to be organized in Shenzhen, China, has also been canceled this year.