"I’m very at peace with my decision to say goodbye": Tearful Caroline Garcia ends career after gritty three-set loss at US Open

Caroline Garcia said goodbye to professional tennis after falling in the first round of the US Open, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to Kamila Rakhimova. The former world No. 4 played her final professional match and was visibly emotional in her last appearance, where she fought until the end but was ultimately defeated by the young Russian.

A few months ago, the 2022 WTA Finals champion announced her retirement from tennis at 31, and she has played a final handful of tournaments since. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, she secured a win in the Cincinnati Open opener against Sonay Kartal in three sets before falling in two tie-breaks to Karolina Muchova (No. 12) in the second round.

This was Garcia’s last-ever Grand Slam main draw appearance, her 52nd overall. Her best major campaign came precisely at Flushing Meadows, where she reached the semifinals in 2022, losing to Ons Jabeur. On Court 6, in front of packed stands, the Frenchwoman had her final professional appearance.

After the match, Garcia addressed the crowd with an emotional speech: "Thank you so much for everyone for being here for my last match. It means a lot… All the support," she said. "Thank you to USTA for giving me a little something. It’s very special obviously. Tennis brought me so much. Some great emotions, some tough ones. It shaped me to become the person I am today. I grew a lot. Especially the last years.”

Garcia also reflected on the peace she feels with her decision: "I’m very at peace with my decision to say goodbye to tennis at competition level... suffering over there, I cannot handle it anymore. It’s too much. I love the game. I’m very proud to be able to say that. 12 months ago that wasn’t the case anymore. So I’m very proud of this last season and leaving it the way I do and with my career.”

Earlier, one of her colleagues had experienced a similar situation when Petra Kvitova—a two-time Grand Slam champion—played her last professional match, also at the US Open. The 35-year-old Czech, however, had a more anecdotal than competitive performance, falling decisively to Diane Parry 6-1, 6-0.

But Garcia stepped onto the court determined to fight for the victory and extend her career a little longer. She faced the tough 23-year-old Rakhimova in a match where the Frenchwoman showed she still has the level to be competitive, hitting 10 aces with a 66% first-serve percentage and winning 75% of those points.

Garcia's serve has always been one of the strong points of her game, and it was no different on this occasion. In the first set, she had several break opportunities, but it was Rakhimova who took advantage of the key moments. The Russian was up 5-2, but Garcia broke back, saving a couple of set points and closing the gap. Nevertheless, the world No. 65 recovered at the end and took the set 6-4.

In the second set, Garcia got an early break and held on to her serve to stay ahead. The Frenchwoman showed focus to maintain the lead throughout the set, and while she missed a set point on the return at 5-3, she didn't fail to close out the set on her serve shortly after, winning 6-4 and sending everything to a decisive third set.

Rakhimova managed to take the lead at the start of the third set with an early break, winning 12 of the first 15 points played to go up 3-0. Garcia didn't give up and had several break chances in the following games but couldn't convert them. This time, it was Rakhimova who held firm on her serve, saving all three break points she faced. After two hours and 17 minutes, she closed out the victory 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, bringing an end to the career of Caroline Garcia, who won 11 singles titles—including the 2022 WTA Finals and three WTA 1000 events—as well as 8 doubles titles, which include two French Open victories with her compatriot Kristina Mladenovic (2016, 2022).