Caroline Garcia has made some deep reflection currently because the Frenchwoman describes the 2025 season as the beginning of a brand new journey, the place she can be centered on discovering the enjoyment and happiness on the court docket fairly than pressuring herself into attaining sure issues.
This 12 months, the previous world No. 4 struggled along with her consistency and resulted and in the end completed with a 17-17 document with none titles gained. With regards to the Grand Slam stage, she did not do nicely there in any respect, having picked up three second-round exits and in addition dropping within the US Open first spherical.
And that led to Garcia concluding her season already in September. On the time, the present world No. 48 posted a prolonged message on social media, by which she admitted that an excessive amount of strain and expectations brought about her to have “a toxic mindset” and battle nervousness and panic assaults.
Caroline Garcia© Caroline Garcia/Instagram – Honest Use
Now after taking a while for herself, the 2022 WTA Finals champion is able to return initially of the brand new season. And this time, she hopes to keep away from issues that put her in a darkish spot this 12 months.
“Let the journey begin. In just one month, if all goes well, I’ll step back onto the court at the Australian Open. This is more than a return to competition—it’s a personal reckoning. Every day, I’m putting in the work, pushing myself to be ready both physically and mentally,” Garcia wrote on X.
“Most days, I find joy in the process, but there are moments when the shadows creep in—the fear of failure, the fear of not being enough. These thoughts can feel overwhelming, but I’ve come to realize that the real failure would be giving in to them, letting them define me. I want to discover what it means to play for me—to chase my own goals, to find my own reasons, to finally uncover the joy in being a tennis player. To not let others define me.
“I don’t need profitable a Grand Slam or returning to the highest 5 to be my purpose anymore. I need these achievements to be the end result—the results of being blissful, working onerous, and constantly enhancing as a participant and an individual. The main focus is now not on the vacation spot, however on embracing the journey, with all its challenges and sweetness. Profitable needs to be the end result, not the purpose. I need to do it not for the trophies, not for the rankings or for my surroundings’s expectations or desires, however for the particular person I’ll turn out to be by means of the method.”
Let the journey begin.
In just one month, if all goes well, I’ll step back onto the court at the Australian Open. This is more than a return to competition—it’s a personal reckoning. Every day, I’m putting in the work, pushing myself to be ready both physically and mentally.… pic.twitter.com/xCD5UDNXwk
— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) November 25, 2024 What exactly Garcia said three months ago?
After losing in the Wimbledon second round to Bernarda Pera, the Frenchwoman also suffered a disappointing first-round loss at the Paris Olympics to Jaqueline Cristian. Then, another devastating loss came at the US Open when she was beaten by Renata Zarazua in two sets in her opener.
In her next tournament in mid-September, Garcia managed to bounce back a bit and end her three-match losing streak by reaching the Guadalajara quarterfinal. However, that solid result didn’t change much for the 31-year-old.
And shortly after, she admitted that not everything was right.
“This 12 months, my mindset was poisonous. I misplaced contact with the enjoyment of being a tennis participant and have become obsessive about rankings and wins. My outcomes didn’t match the targets I set or the expectations I had. The work, the sacrifices, the ache—all of it felt the identical as earlier than, however the outcomes weren’t there, and I couldn’t compete on the stage I do know I’m able to. That’s been actually onerous to just accept,” Garcia wrote on X in late September.
In the same post, the former world No. 4 also revealed that she was also often experiencing anxiety and panic attacks.
“I’m exhausted from the nervousness, the panic assaults, the tears earlier than matches… For too lengthy, I’ve let tennis devour me, journey the emotional highs and lows of each end result. However I’m greater than that,” she added at the time.
After years of struggling with her form, Garcia rediscovered her best tennis in the second part of 2022. During that period, she won four titles – reached the US Open semifinal – and returned inside the top-10 for the first time in years.
Going into the 2023 season, the Frenchwoman didn’t hide that she was extremely determined and motivated to become a Grand Slam champion. But Garcia hasn’t won any titles since 2022 and the reasons are listed above.
