(Paris) With results at half mast, a failing physique and a collapsing mind, French No.1 Caroline Garcia is brooding to the point of ending her season in order to recharge her batteries in the hope of a clearing up in 2025 .
In a long message posted Friday on social networks, the player who will celebrate her 31st birthday on October 16 recounts her difficulties as if she were confiding in a psychologist.
To sum up, the physical is wrong: “I’ve pushed my shoulder to the limit, trying to recover while still playing, and it’s just not working. I need more time to heal.”
And morale falters: “Mentally, I need to take a break. I need to get away from the constant routine of tennis, take a real vacation, reconnect with my family and loved ones, and allow myself to breathe without the pressure of performance.”
Since his semi-final in Rouen in April, Garcia has not had two consecutive victories in seven tournaments. She played a good half in Guadalajara in September, but having won only one match before: exempted from the first round, she needed two tiebreakers to remove the 169e world Ena Shibahara before benefiting from her opponent’s withdrawal in the quarters and losing in the semi-finals in two very close rounds against the Polish Magdalena Frech (43e).
Gnawed
Having reached his best world ranking, 4eafter a thunderous year 2022 concluded with a title at the end of year Masters, she has since slipped in the hierarchy and was this week at 36e rank.
From a solo vacation in the 2022-23 offseason to an engagement this year, Garcia seemed to have found balance in her personal life.
But in reality, tennis – and all its constraints – continues to eat away at her to the point of falling into a “toxic state of mind”.
“I lost the joy of being a tennis player and became obsessed with rankings and winning […] The work, the sacrifices, the pain: everything seemed the same as before, but the results weren’t there, and I wasn’t able to play at the level I know I’m capable of. It’s difficult to accept,” she notes with bitterness.
Recognizing, with a little hindsight, having had an “incredible” career so far with titles in WTA 1000, at the Masters, in doubles at Grand Slams, and her place as world No.4, she underlines that her spirit is nevertheless currently “stuck” on its failures.
“I have never reached the number 1 position, never won a Grand Slam (in singles, despite a semi-final at the 2022 United States Open where her nerves betrayed her, Editor’s note), never reached an Olympic podium . I have been irregular, unable to stay in the top 10 for a full year,” she regrets.
Without “at home”
Beyond the results, it is her life as a high-level player as a whole which now weighs on her morale.
“I’m exhausted from the anxiety, the panic attacks, the tears before games. Tired of missing family time and never having a place I can 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 says.
From now on, “winning no longer provides satisfaction; it just brings relief that it’s over,” she admits.
Despite everything, Garcia wants to continue practicing this sport which has “given him so much”. For this, it decided to cut completely, from September and for “a few weeks”, before resuming preparation for 2025.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, because in tennis, every week of rest feels like you’re falling behind, you’re losing points in the rankings and you’re ‘missing’ opportunities. But I know it’s the right decision to come back stronger in 2025 and fight for big moments again,” she explains, before concluding her message with an encouraging “See you in Australia.” In January 2025.