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.
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.
"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."
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. But I know this is the right call to come back stronger in 2025 and fight for those big moments…
