“We choose values over money”: Caroline Garcia rejects $270k betting deal for her podcast

The tennis player Caroline Garcia explained on social media her reasons for rejecting a $270,000 offer from a betting company for her podcast, Tennis Insider Club. She and her husband, Borja Duran, have interviewed several big stars from the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as influential players and coaches in the tennis world.

The podcast has featured some of the greatest stars in an intimate and candid format, where they discuss the challenges of life as a tennis player with Garcia. Guests have ranged from the legendary Justine Henin and Garbiñe Muguruza to current stars like Mirra Andreeva, Taylor Fritz, and Jessica Pegula, in addition to coaches like Wim Fissette (Iga Świątek’s coach) and Brad Gilbert (Jannik Sinner’s coach).

In a recent social media post, the French former WTA Finals champion explained the reasons behind her decision to reject a significant offer for her podcast, described as "a huge amount of money," especially following her retirement from professional activity. Garcia ended her career this year with her final appearance at the US Open, where she was defeated in the first round by Kamilla Rakhimova.

After several months working on their podcast, Garcia and Duran have reached 92,000 subscribers on YouTube, with videos often surpassing 100,000 views and exceeding 200,000 for several interviews, such as those with Iga Swiatek a year ago and Darren Cahill nine months ago.

The former tennis player revealed that they received an offer from a betting company, but the 32-year-old decided she did not want to "directly or indirectly" support a business that has brought so many complications to tennis players.

“betting has become one of the biggest sources of pressure, abuse, and hate in modern sport,” she wrote. “Every player, from Top 10 stars to ITF grinders, has stories. DMs full of insults after a match. People demanding money back because they lost a bet. Even death threats. Not because of sport. Because of gambling.”

Several players have publicly shared the hate messages they receive on social media following their performances on the Tour. Iga Swiatek, Frances Tiafoe, Katie Boulter, and Elina Svitolina are some of the stars who have publicly spoken about the deluge of messages they receive on social media.

“Our mission is to tell real stories from inside tennis, inspire people, and grow the sport in a way that is healthy for athletes and fans. Taking betting money would move us in the opposite direction,” Garcia wrote on social media. “And if we expect athletes to trust us enough to be vulnerable on the podcast, to share their fears, doubts, and mental health battles, then we need to show them that we choose values over money.”

“$270k is a lot. But building something long term, honest, and good for the sport is worth more,” the former World No. 4 added. “We will find partners who believe in that vision, who want to grow with us, not exploit the pressure athletes already face. Thank free you for supporting what we are building. We are just getting started. And we are doing it the right way.”