The Frenchwoman lost in straight sets to Emma Navarro. The upcoming French Open will be Cornet's last tournament before leaving the sport.
Alize Cornet bowed out of the Strasbourg International WTA 500 on Monday after losing to the hard-hitting Emma Navarro, 6-4 6-1.
Cornet found the going tough against her American opponent, and was a long way off the pace in the second set.
Afterwards, she spoke to the media, where a tearful Cornet said she had "many emotions" as she bid farewell to tennis in Strasbourg, a tournament where she has won the title and made the final in the past.
She also admitted her surprise after being greeted with flowers on court at the end of the match, as a commemoration of her career, which will finally draw to a close at the French Open, which starts on Sunday 26 May.
"I will be back as a spectator," she said at a press conference.
The 34-year-old is a former world No. 11. She is also the player in the Open Era with the most consecutive Grand Slam tournaments played - 68. Making longevity her hallmark, Cornet made her Grand Slam main-draw debut as a 15-year-old in Paris in 2005, and hasn't missed a major main draw since the run began at 2007 Australian Open.
In 2022 at the Australian Open, Cornet finally advanced to her only quarter-final at a Slam, after beating Simona Halep in Round 4, after previously falling at that very hurdle all four majors.
She will play her 69th and final major in her homeland, with her best runs coming there in 2015 and 2017.
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