Literature fan Alize Cornet finishing autobiography during lockdown

Alize Cornet usually has a lot to say, and now she's doing it in writing. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman is working on her autobiography while the tours are on hiatus.

“It's all my own work. It's a mixture of autobiography and travel,” she told the FFT website. “I've always been a big fan of literature.”

Cornet has also written some fiction, but just for fun.

“I have no intention of publishing that one,” she said.

Like other players, she doesn't know whether she'll get to play competitively again this season.

“I have no idea what’s gonna happen for the rest of the season, I have to be honest with you,” Cornet toldEssentially Sports. “And I think nobody has any idea of what is coming next. Of course, we are all hopeful for some tournaments to happen... Roland Garros, which is my home Grand Slam.”

A lot will depend on France's experience lifting lockdown measures, which begin this week. That will allow Cornet and other French players to likely practice on court again, and then perhaps play some tournaments with special safety precautions.

“We have no clue," she said. “But if we can play some tournaments during 2020, I think it would really be a victory. But we will definitely have to adapt.”

Currently ranked No. 59, Cornet reached a career-high ranking of No. 11 in 2009, and has also had some second-week runs at Grand Slams. In 2014, she stunned stunned No. 1-seeded Serena Williams in the third round of Wimbledon. She calls that her best win, but has had to improve her game on the increasingly competitive WTA tour.

“Being on tour for more than 15 years, I can definitely see the evolution of the game on the WTA. There’s no doubt about it,” she said. “I mean the girls, they hit harder and harder. They are so complete. They are so athletic first of all, which was not the case 15 years ago where some girls were not that athletic. Now it’s the case of all the players from the top 100, or the top 150, I would say. They are all playing so good, it got really competitive.”

She was also asked to create her own perfect player, not counting herself.

“I would take the fitness of Simona Halep. I would get the serve of Serena, definitely, and her power too,” Cornet said. “I would get the forehand of Ash Barty, I love her game in general, but her forehand is marvelous.

“There’s lots of girls that have beautiful backhand, it’s really not easy. Barty, she also has such great volley, Petra Martic is a very good volleyer, too. Yeah, I’d say Petra. She’s my friend, so I would like to add her in my perfect player.”

The autobiography is to be published just before the rescheduled French Open, which hopes to begin September 27.