It is rare to see Alize Cornet play without him sitting in his box: since their meeting in February 2014, Michaël Kuzaj has been an unfailing support for the French player. Constantly behind her, he now plays the role of an agent and left his position at the Mouratoglou academy (a prestigious academy in the South of France) to follow her on most of her tournaments.
Calm and calm, the young man knows how to read the not always obvious character of his companion. He even sometimes put on the coach’s cap depending on the tournaments and the needs. However, both are well aware that this role can only be temporary, in order to be sure to preserve professional life and private life.
A border sometimes a little difficult to hold, as in March 2018, when Alizé Cornet, furious at losing, had forced him out of his tribune. However, the one who played at a very good level, never held it against her: he knows perfectly the difference between the player and his girlfriend in life, who, he specifies “knows how to apologize when she’s gone too far“.
Another of their spats, had in particular caused a lot of ink to flow: in Doha, earlier in the year, the player lost and had brought him on the court. While Michaël Kuzaj began to give her advice, she violently attacked him, accusing him of the “put at the bottom of the mine, [lui] put your head in the bucket“, to be “aggressive“.
To avoid these difficult situations, Michaël Kuzaj assumes to want to stay in the shadows. He says it himself, this role of agent, less strong in emotion, suits him perfectly. This does not prevent him from moving regularly with his girlfriend. This one has been less prone to bleeding for several years. Indeed, tired of losing her nerves regularly in the field, she began to meditate and tries to detach herself from the result, to put less pressure on herself.
A welcome initiative, as she thinks more and more about her approaching retirement from sport. At 32, the player and her boyfriend surely want a quieter life, with less time spent traveling. Especially since Michaël Kuzaj has activities on his side: in addition to his job as an agent, he is a regular padel player and has launched his brand of quirky t-shirts, intended for athletes.