By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, September 27, 2024
Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty
The 2024 season turned toxic for Caroline Garcia.
In response, Garcia is sitting out the season.
TN questions and answers: Roger Federer in RF collection and best match
World No. 36 Garcia announced he will retire early in 2024 due to shoulder pain and a damaged competitive psyche.
The 30-year-old French posted a 17-16 record in 2024 and reached the semifinals of Guadalajara in her last tournament.
Former world No. 4 Garcia said she needs to take time off from tennis to heal her shoulder and reset her mind after a grueling 2024 campaign that saw her record a 3-4 record in four Grands Slams and falls in the first round of the Paris Olympics.
“Guadalajara marked the end of my 2024 season,” Garcia posted on Instagram. “It wasn’t an easy decision because in tennis, every week off feels like falling behind – losing ranking points and losing opportunities.
“But I know this is the right call to come back stronger in 2025 and fight for those big moments again.
“Physically, I’ve pushed my shoulder to its limit trying to recover during the race and it’s just not working. I need more time off to heal properly.
“Mentally, I need a reset.”
The two-time Roland Garros champion admitted that tennis turned “toxic” for her this season as she “lost touch with the joy of being a tennis player”.
“This year, my mindset was toxic,” Garcia posted on Instagram. “I lost touch with the joy of being a tennis player and became obsessed with rankings and qualifications. My results didn’t match the goals I set or the expectations I had.”
The announcement comes a month after Garcia shared some of the “hundreds” of hateful personal attacks cyberbullies lobbed at him online after the Mexican Renata Zarazu defeated him 6-1, 6-4 in the first round of the US Open. Some of the hate messages were violent and disgusting.
“I hope your mother dies soon,” one message read.
“I hate you so much,” posted another.
A 2022 US Open semifinalist, Garcia said players are paying a high emotional price for lucrative tennis sponsorship deals with betting firms.
Garcia said tennis gambling “actively destroys some people’s lives.”
“It really bothers me when I think about the younger players coming up who have to go through this,” Garcia posted on Instagram. “People who have not yet fully developed as humans and who can really be affected by this hatred.
“Perhaps you may think that it does us no harm. But it does. We are people. And sometimes, when we receive these messages, we are already emotionally devastated after a severe loss. And they can be harmful. Many before me have raised this topic. And still, no progress has been made.”
