Caroline
Garcia announces the end of her season after the Guadalajara Open, citing
physical and mental health issues. The 30-year-old French player shared an
emotional message on social media, reflecting on her challenging season, which
saw her drop from her career-high ranking of world No. 4 to outside the top 40
this week.
Garcia
achieved her best result of the season this week by reaching the semifinals of
a WTA 500 tournament, marking only the second time she has made it to the final
four of a tournament this year. However, she only needed one win over Ena
Shibahara to get there, as she advanced from the quarterfinals by walkover
after Marie Bouzkova retired before their match.
"For too long, I’ve let tennis consume me" - Caroline Garcia
She has
only reached the semifinals twice this year, with the previous occasion being
at the WTA 250 Ruan Open. In fact, the last time she won consecutive matches
was back in Ruan in April.
"Guadalajara
marked the end of my 2024 season. It wasn’t an easy decision because in tennis,
every week off feels like falling behind—losing ranking points and ‘missing’
opportunities,” Garcia wrote on social media. "But I know this is the right
call to come back stronger in 2025 and fight for those big moments again."
"I’m
exhausted from the anxiety, the panic attacks, the tears before matches. Tired
of missing out on family moments and never having a place to truly call home.
I’m tired of living in a world where my worth is measured by last week’s
results, my ranking, or my unforced errors," she shared.
Caroline Garcia at 2022 WTA Finals.
"For
too long, I’ve let tennis consume me, riding the emotional highs and lows of
every result. But I’m more than that. I’m a woman with values, talents,
passions, flaws, and strengths. I’m not perfect, but I’m doing my best,"
she added.
“I wish it
were easy to change, to grow, to embrace a new mindset. I wish I could just go
out there, play freely, smile, and hit my best shots when it counts,” the
30-year-old admitted. "But like my friend Alize Cornet says, real change
takes time. You can’t undo years of conditioning overnight."
The 2022
WTA Finals champion announced she will return to the Tour in the 2025 season,
taking some time off to rest and begin preparing early for the Australian
tournaments. Garcia’s next on-court challenge will be in January: "I’m
choosing to step away for now. I’m taking a few weeks off to recharge, then
I’ll start preparing for 2025 early—getting ready physically, mentally, and
tactically."
