(VIDEO) Emotional farewell: Caroline Garcia in tears ahead of her last dance at Roland Garros

Former world No. 4 Caroline Garcia recently announced that she will retire from professional tennis "in the coming weeks," making this her last appearance at Roland Garros.

The 31-year-old Frenchwoman has established herself as the best French player of recent times, winning a total of 11 titles – including the 2022 WTA Finals – and reaching a US Open semi-final. She also won the French Open doubles title twice (2016 and 2022), both times alongside Kristina Mladenovic.

Garcia's retirement announcement came just days ago, following a period with limited competition and without the results that once kept her consistently in the top 10 and contending for major titles. Garcia also boasts three WTA 1000 titles and a total of 26 victories against top-10 players.

Caroline Garcia (No. 144) specifically returned to the court for this French Open, where she was drawn to face Bernarda Pera (No. 83) in the first round. Despite being a match between two players outside the top 80, the organizers decided to schedule the clash on Suzanne Lenglen Stadium to give Garcia a proper send-off – in case she is eliminated.

As she prepared to enter the court, television cameras captured Garcia's emotion. She was seen waiting in the tunnel, visibly in tears, for the announcement to step back onto the Roland Garros court one last time. After taking a deep breath and managing a smile, Garcia entered the stadium to a full ovation for one of the best French players seen in recent memory.