French tennis player Caroline Garcia ends season citing anxiety, panic attacks

PARIS – Former world No. 4 Caroline Garcia said she has been suffering with anxiety and panic attacks and will not play again this season as she looks to mentally and physically reset ahead of 2025.

The 30-year-old Frenchwoman, who won the WTA Finals in 2022 and reached the US Open semi-finals that year, also said she was not physically fit to finish the current season, in which she has failed to make it past the second round at any Grand Slam.

“Physically, I’ve been pushing my shoulder to its limit, trying to recover while competing, and it’s just not working. I need more time off to heal properly,” Garcia wrote on X.

“Mentally, I need a reset. I need to step away from the constant grind of tennis.

“I’m exhausted from the anxiety, the panic attacks, the tears before matches. Tired of missing out on family moments and never having a place to 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.”

While her career has featured a number of highs – she has won two Grand Slam doubles titles and 11 WTA singles titles, including the Cincinnati Masters – Garcia said she has become fixated on what she sees as her failures.

“In my mind, I’ve been stuck on what I haven’t achieved. I never made it to No. 1, never won a (singles) Slam, never reached an Olympic podium. I’ve been inconsistent, unable to stay in the top 10 for a full year,” she wrote.

World No. 36 Garcia, however, is still determined to come back in 2025.

“I’m choosing to step away for now... then I’ll start preparing for 2025 early – getting ready physically, mentally and tactically,” she said.

Mental health has been a hot topic in sports, and especially in tennis since Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open after deciding to boycott post-match media duties, explaining she had been suffering from depression for almost three years.

On the court, world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev won in straight sets to start their China Open title bids on Sept 27, while 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai pulled off a big shock in the women’s draw.

Four-time Major champion Alcaraz defeated fellow 21-year-old Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-4 and faces Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands in the last 16 in Beijing.

Russian third seed Medvedev, who lost the 2023 final in Beijing to current No. 1 Jannik Sinner, eased past veteran Gael Monfils.

The 2021 US Open champion defeated the 38-year-old 6-3, 6-4 and faces another Frenchman in Adrian Mannarino in the last 16.

In the women’s draw, the wildcard entry Zhang, who on Sept 25 won her first singles match in more than 600 days, stunned US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2.

The 35-year-old Zhang is into the round of 32 despite being the lowest-ranked player to ever compete in the main draw of the prestigious WTA 1000 event.

She said she felt right at home in Beijing because she comes from the nearby city of Tianjin.

“The court, the weather, the air, everything, I feel so comfortable. I play very natural,” she said.

“I can play Zhang Shuai tennis.” REUTERS, AFP