From Canadian Open win to Covid controversy to bizarre retirement as Camila Giorgi fades away in sudden end to career

Camila Giorgi appears to have retired from tennis in a fashion that is very much in keeping with the career of the 32-year-old Italian as bizarre as she currently shows no indication on social media to announce this move as she becomes the latest what could've been.

Giorgi won her first ITF title back in 2009 and made her Grand Slam debut in 2011 at Wimbledon. It was very much incremental progress for the Italian as she reached the fourth round the following year and made a top 100 debut. This was followed by further success at Wimbledon and in fact the US Open. Her first Grand Slam Quarter-Final came at SW19 in 2018 and a few years later saw her maiden big title success at the 2021 Canadian Open.

She defeated Karolina Pliskova in the final in a real breakout moment for the former World No.26. But the same story as her initial Wimbledon exploits, it was a long time between potential breakout and following it up again. Amid controversies, she never really backed that up.

Falling down the rankings, it wasn't the only issue that Giorgi encountered with Italian media reporting at the 2023 Australian Open that she had received a fake COVID-19 vaccine certificate. This during a time when entering countries was still very much in some cases needing this document. This landed her in serious hot water with the doctor Daniela Grillone naming Giorgi as one of the people who came to her seeking fake certificates. Giorgi while not admitting this said that she had received one of her vaccinations through this doctor who had been charged with administering fake serums.

She won her fourth WTA tour title at the 2023 Merida Open in Mexicon defeating Rebecca Peterson in the final. But slid down towards the mid top 100 by the time her retirement was announced. It was confirmed on a list by the ITF on Wednesday 8 May. Her last match was a towelling at the hands of Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 after not being in any form for a while. Whether this is a mistake or whether she will come out with a statement remains to be seen. But it is very much in keeping of her reaching the top then fading away suddenly with her tennis career.

Perhaps also she was best known in some regards for her bikini pictures than her tennis on-court with the Italian following a similar route to Genie Bouchard in some ways. With 725k Instagram followers, she is more known to the wider public for her perceived good looks than results. Including many sensationalist tabloid articles about her wowing in this picture. Her social media aside from a story of herself in the mirror on Tuesday remains vacant in terms of any sort of notion of retirement.

She has also not deleted her bio which says pro tennis player. But given that the ITF have been informed and she has not entered Roland Garros, it is very much likely that this isn't a mistake on the part of the Italian. A career that had highs but also many lows and a bizarre way to end it at that.