Cornet on her hasty return to BJK Cup: "If I didn’t go, no one would play"

The French Billie Jean King Cup team will remain in the competition’s second division for another year following yesterday’s defeat against Belgium.

A week in Vilnius (Lithuania) that turned sour, much like captain Julien Benneteau’s interview with *L’Équipe* yesterday. The sports daily also obtained comments from Alizé Cornet, who played singles just a week after coming out of retirement:

*"Why did I play? All the other players were in no condition to compete, and if I didn’t go, no one would have played. Bennet wanted to save me for doubles, but we had no other option. Let’s not forget I’m 35 and wanted to ease back in gradually.*

*Now, here I am playing BJK Cup singles, even though I’ve just come off eight weeks on clay and haven’t had a single hardcourt practice in a year."*