Cornet outraged by empty seats at Roland-Garros: "It makes me very sad".

It's one of the saddest images of the fortnight. As Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev battled it out on the Philippe Chatrier, everyone noticed that the stands were particularly sparse. Such a sight, in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, is particularly disturbing, especially when you consider how difficult it is these days to secure a place at the Paris Grand Slam.

On this subject, Alizée Cornet, who recently retired from the game, was keen to express her opinion. A new consultant on France TV, she declared on air: "I wanted to mention a small point that's close to my heart, and that's seeing these stands half-empty. It makes me very sad. For a men's semi-final at Roland-Garros, we know how hard it is for real tennis fans to get seats, and to see stands like that at only 9:30 p.m. is a real shame for the tournament and for tennis fans.

It's the fiesta at all the other Grand Slam tournaments, at this hour the stands are full, packed, people are overexcited to be there, so it's a bit sad. We don't like to see that."