Alizé Cornet has been appointed captain of France’s Billie Jean King Cup team a few months after retiring from tennis a second time earlier this year. The French tennis federation announced the nomination on Sunday, saying Cornet stood out from other candidates because of her “investment in French tennis, her profile, her motivation and her availability.”

The 35-year-old replaces Julien Benneteau, who held the role since 2019. Cornet’s remit will extend beyond the Billie Jean King Cup squad and includes preparing the French Olympic team leading up to the Los Angeles Games in 2028, monitoring national team players during competitions and overseeing youth teams.

“I appreciate the trust the federation has placed in me, and I am determined to do everything I can to help our players reach their full potential,” Cornet said in a statement. “My goal is to build a strong team spirit, based on high standards, solidarity, and a passion for the French jersey.”

Cornet brings the experience of a 20-year professional career to the role. Touted as a young prodigy, she achieved a career-high ranking of No. 11 in 2009 and won six singles titles. Known as a solid baseline player with a strong backhand, she also held the women’s record for most consecutive Grand Slam tournaments played at 69, a streak that ran from the 2007 Australian Open to last year’s French Open.

The federation emphasized Cornet’s availability and motivation when confirming the appointment. Her new duties place her at the centre of France’s national-team planning as preparations begin toward future international events and the 2028 Olympic cycle.

Jasmine Paolini will be among the athletes selected to carry the Olympic flame during the Milano-Cortina 2026 torch relay. Paolini confirmed this week she was chosen as a torchbearer through an arrangement involving her and the Games’ joint sponsor, Coca-Cola, calling the news that she was “proud” to reveal. The Italian leg of the relay begins on Dec. 6 in Rome after the flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, on Nov. 26 and handed off in Athens on Dec. 4.

Paolini joins 10,000 other torchbearers who will carry the flame more than 12,000 kilometers across Italy over a period of more than two months. The route will visit 110 provinces and include 60 city celebrations. The torch is scheduled to reach co-host Cortina d’Ampezzo on Jan. 26 and will then be used to light the Olympic Cauldron at Milan’s San Siro football stadium as part of the opening ceremony on Feb. 6.

Paolini’s selection follows a period in which she has often worn national colors with distinction. A two-time Grand Slam finalist, she was a gold medalist in women’s doubles at last summer’s Paris Olympics with Sara Errani, a first for Italy. She has also been central to Italy’s back-to-back Billie Jean King Cup titles.

This fall in Shenzhen Paolini clinched Italy’s title defense with a series of decisive performances. She went undefeated over the weekend, engineered two comeback victories after facing large deficits, and sealed a 2-0 defeat of the United States with a win over Jessica Pegula. She rallied from a set and a break down to beat Wang Xinyu in the quarterfinal against China and repeated a comeback against Elina Svitolina in the semifinal versus Ukraine. In the deciding doubles match of that tie, she and Errani beat Lyudmyla Kichenok and Marta Kostyuk to send Italy into the final.

“Playing for the national team, it’s something that I was watching, I was dreaming of doing,” Paolini said after Italy’s sixth all-time BJK Cup title, saying she hoped to inspire the next generation of Italian girls on the tennis court.

Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro each recovered from a set down as the United States defeated Great Britain 2-0 to reach the Billie Jean King Cup final. The wins set up a title match against defending champion Italy on Sunday.

Navarro, ranked 18th, opened the decisive day with a comeback victory over Sonay Kartal, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Pegula, the seventh-ranked player, followed by overturning Katie Boulter 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to seal the tie for the Americans.

Pegula arrives in the showdown after a run to the U.S. Open semifinals earlier this season. Her form, coupled with Navarro’s resilience, provided the backbone of the U.S. advance.

The Billie Jean King Cup, formerly known as the Fed Cup, remains the most successful team competition for the United States, which has claimed 18 titles. The Americans have not won the event since 2017 and last reached a final in 2018.

Italy presents a strong challenge in the final. The Italians are led by No. 8 Jasmine Paolini, with No. 91 Elisabetta Cocciaretto also in singles contention. Both national teams feature dangerous doubles options; Italy lists Olympic champions Paolini and Sara Errani, while the U.S. pairing includes Pegula and top-ranked doubles player Taylor Townsend.

The upcoming final pairs a U.S. squad seeking to reclaim past glory with an Italian group defending its title. The combination of singles firepower and established doubles pairings on both sides promises a competitive conclusion to the Billie Jean King Cup.