This year has been fruitful for French tennis on the coast. Between the Hopman Cup, the results of Alizé Cornet, and Fiona Ferro, we have been spoiled. It is time to take a look back at this year, 2023.
The Hopman Cup 2023 was the 32nd edition of this tennis tournament, which is not usually held in France. Indeed, the last edition took place in Australia and was in 2019. In July 2023, the tournament reappeared on the calendar, this time taking place on clay courts in Nice. In this competition, 6 mixed teams participated, which was held in a format known as the « round robin »: separated into two groups of three teams, the winners of each group competed for the title in the final. Croatia won the competition for the 2nd time in its history against Switzerland. It featured a high-quality lineup with the participation of Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune. However, the two tennis titans did not manage to reach the finals, leaving the victory to Donna Vekić and Borna Ćorić.
Alizé Cornet, a legend still breaking records
Alizé Cornet finished in 117th place in the WTA ranking for this 2023 season. A season that ended with a record of 28 victories and 28 defeats in favor of our Nice native. The year was mixed, but let’s not forget who Alizé Cornet is. As of today, she has accumulated 9 titles on the WTA circuit in her career, including 6 in singles and 3 in doubles. Her highest ranking was 11th place globally in 2009 in singles. She also participated in the Fed Cup success with the French team in 2019 against Australia in the finals. Paired with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, she also won the Hopman Cup in 2014. Let’s not forget she is the record holder for the number of Grand Slams played consecutively with 63. A streak that could continue to grow as the French Tennis Federation granted her a Wild Card to participate in the Australian Open next month. A complete athlete with a highly respectable career.
Fiona Ferro and her return to competition
Fiona Ferro, a Franco-Belgian player who lives in our beloved PACA region, ends the year at 161st place in the WTA ranking. A ranking lower than her best season (2021) when she finished 39th place. This drop in the ranking is due to her personal troubles; indeed, Fiona Ferro left the WTA Tour for several months at the end of 2022. She ended up with a record of 27 victories and 21 defeats for the 2023 season. She finally secured 2 victories in tournaments in Biarritz and Monastir. At Roland-Garros, she received a wild card for the qualifiers. Thanks to her good momentum, she managed to get through the qualifiers. An athlete who gives hope for the rest of her career.
