"Today tennis is secondary": Caroline Garcia reveals grandmother passed away prior to US Open first round exit, withdraws from doubles

Caroline Garcia was one of the main casualties in the first round of the 2023 US Open losing to an in-form Yafan Wang who has won five titles on the secondary tours this year. But news on Wednesday evening confirms not all was well in the Frenchwoman's camp.

Garcia who was the seventh seed at the US Open shared a message on her Instagram story that her grandmother passed away early on Monday afternoon prior to her defeat the following day.

She did not attend her post match press conference and withdrew from her doubles with Kristina Mladenovic as she heads back to France to say goodbye to her grandmother.

"These last two days have been very difficult for our family. My grandmother passed away on Monday afternoon," she wrote.

"I couldn't attend to the press conference after my loss, the emotions were too overwhelming. My heart needs to be with my relatives to bid my grandmother a last farewell. That's why I have to withdraw from the doubles with Kristina."

"There is a time for everything in life. Today tennis is secondary."

Condolences to Caroline and her family on their loss at this time.