US Open 2025: Caroline Garcia’s final flight

"I'm very happy and in peace with my decision"

"Dear tennis, it’s time to say goodbye. After 15 years competing at the highest level, and more than 25 years investing pretty much every second of my life into it, I feel ready to start a new chapter [...] Still, this is not over - not just yet. I still have some tournaments left."

On May 23, with these words, “Caro” surprised the circuit and her many supporters on social media. Once the shock settled, Parisian fans were able to celebrate their champion after her defeats in singles against Bernarda Pera and in doubles alongside compatriot Diane Parry.

But it was fittingly on American hard courts, the stage of her greatest individual triumphs, that the Lyon native chose to say goodbye. Beaten by Karolina Muchova (7/6(3), 7/6(0)) in the second round of the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati – a tournament she had won in 2022 – Garcia received a wildcard into the US Open, where she had reached the semifinals that same year. Entering her last event with calmness but without knowing how many matches she would play, she reflected after her final defeat: "It's not really easy to step on the court when you don't know it's your last match or if you win maybe you have another last match. It's kind of a tricky moment. But a lot of emotion before the match, even if I got a lot of emotion out in Roland-Garros. But, yeah, it meant a lot for me to play one more time US Open."

A winner of 11 singles titles on the WTA Tour including the WTA Finals in Fort Worth in 2022, Garcia also excelled in doubles, reaching world No.2 and lifting the Roland-Garros trophy twice (2016 and 2022). A true team player, she also brought home the Billie Jean King Cup in 2019 in Perth against Australia. Despite this glittering résumé and the conviction that she stopped at the right time, Garcia admitted she leaves the sport with mixed feelings. "It's kind of weird to say, but, you know, I'm very happy. It was a great run. I did a great thing on court, and I went until what I could achieve. You know, obviously you can always achieve more, and I was dreaming of achieving more. But I'm very happy and in peace with my decision to move forward with my life and close the chapter of being a tennis player."

"I see a future for myself in tennis"

In recent months, happiness had become harder to find on court. Despite heavy mental work, Garcia could no longer recapture the fire and level that had carried her to the top of the game three years ago.

"The last couple of years for me were hard, were tricky, and kind of dark. I was able to, yeah, to pass them, to learn a lot. I almost left last year by hating tennis, and I thought it was the worst sport out there (smiling). But I did a lot of work on myself to understand what was going on, and yeah, do one more season, leave it my own way, and building again my love for the sport and my passion for tennis. You know, at one point competing and everything it takes to be at the top, I didn't want to do it. I couldn't handle it anymore, but I still love tennis."

While she has rediscovered her passion for the sport, “Flying Caro” has decided not to showcase it on the competitive stage anymore. Her retirement, however, does not mean she will cut ties with the game she has loved since childhood.

"I think I want to keep going the podcast (Tennis Insider Club). Obviously, you know, it's little by little it's growing. We believe we are doing some good things and giving back, sharing tips, sharing behind the scenes, sharing tips from the best players and coaches. If it can help some young players out there, like, it would be the best reward I could get. Yeah, now I see a future for myself in tennis, and 12 months ago it was not the case."