Caroline Garcia says she is retiring from tennis, will play at her final French Open

PARIS (AP) — Caroline Garcia, a former U.S. Open semifinalist who has been ranked as high as No. 4, says she will retire from tennis.

As she prepares to play at the French Open for a 14th consecutive appearance, the Frenchwoman said on social media that “it’s time to say goodbye.”

“After 15 years competing at the highest level, and over 25 years devoting almost every second of my life to this sport, I feel ready to turn the page and open a new chapter,” Garcia said. “That said, it’s not quite over yet. I still have a few tournaments to play. The first one, at home, at Roland-Garros.”

Garcia, who has won 11 titles but is now ranked No. 145, will play against Bernarda Pera in the first round.

The 31-year-old Garcia first reached the No. 4 spot in September 2018. After several inconsistent years marred by doubts and injuries, Garcia took a break from tennis in March 2022 to nurse an injured foot. The pause brought dividends as she enjoyed a tremendous second half of that season with several titles, including at the WTA Finals, to go with her semifinal appearance at the U.S. Open.

Two years ago, she revealed in an interview with L’Equipe newspaper that she had to deal with bulimia for a spell, triggered by losses and pain from the lingering foot injury that affected her daily life.

“My journey hasn’t always been easy,” Garcia said on Friday. “Since the beginning, tennis has meant so much more than wins and losses. It was love or hate. Joy or frustration. And despite everything, I’m deeply grateful for all that this adventure has brought me. For everything tennis has given me. For the strong, passionate, and determined woman it helped me become. But now, it’s time to move on. My body — and my personal aspirations — are telling me so.”

Several French players paid tribute to Garcia.

“She’s had a great career,” said Varvara Gracheva, ranked No. 66. “I wish her all the best. I hope she does well at her last Roland-Garros.”

Léolia Jeanjean, ranked 103rd, said Garcia made a lasting impact.

“She’s going to leave a great mark on women’s tennis,” Jeanjean said. “She won a Masters, Roland-Garros in doubles, she was in the top five. A lot of French women tennis player dream of having a career like that.”

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis