Stretched out on the clay in jubilation, France’s Alizé Cornet soaked up the roar of the crowd, resonating with the French faithful after a hard-fought three-set victory. Meanwhile, her opponent, German Tatjana Maria, stewed, and rightfully so.
Maria wasn’t the only one. Over the course of Cornet’s 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 victory the ebullient Frenchwoman had drawn more than her share of Twitter criticism for her numerous injury timeouts.
But was she really in the wrong to seek treatment and to take it as it was offered?
Many believed so.
Especially Maria. Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times talked to her after the match and got the following quote:
Reportedly after the match, when Cornet and Maria had words, the Frenchwoman accused Maria of being unfair for asking the umpire to give Cornet warnings as she repeatedly took treatment.
Some backstory (but not all): After the third game of the third set Cornet seized up while hitting an overhead and immediately went to the chair to see the tournament’s physio.
Cornet, known for her dramatics, seemed to thrive on the chaos and rallied to win.
Her celebration after the victory was stylish to say the least, and by that time Maria was already fuming about the events that had transpired.
Meanwhile on Twitter, the needle was pegged. Here’s a sampling:
The most scathing commentary of all came from German Fed Cup captain Barbara Rittner. Ouch!
Ironically, the pair are slated to take the court on opposite sides of the net tomorrow, as Cornet and Magda Linette will face Maria and Madison Brengle in a second-round doubles match on Court 4. Get your popcorn ready...