Caroline Garcia has announced she won’t play tennis again this year after admitting to suffering panic attacks before matches.
In an emotional social media statement, the Frenchwoman blamed the constant scrutiny on players for her decision as well as the shoulder injury that has plagued her throughout 2024.
Garcia, 30, has not made it past the second round of a Grand Slam event in 2024.
Her last match came at the Abierto Zapopan tournament in Mexico on September 14, where she was beaten by Magdalena Frech in the semi-finals.
The former world No.4 wrote on Instagram: “I’m tired of living in a world where my worth is measured by last week’s results, my ranking, or my unforced errors. 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. I’m tired of missing out on family moments and never having a place to truly call home.”
The 2022 US Open semi-finalist has been competing with shoulder pain since March, and implied she had not been afforded the time to address the issue.
“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,” she added.
She further clarified her decision on X, posting: “Guadalajara marked the end of my 2024 season. It wasn’t an easy decision, because in tennis, every week off feels like falling behind – losing ranking points and ‘missing’ opportunities.
“But I know this is the right call to come back stronger in 2025 and fight for those big moments.”
Garcia, who has slipped to 36th in the rankings, was left stunned at Flushing Meadows last month when she was beaten in the first-round by unseeded Mexican Renata Zarazua.
The defeat sparked derogatory online messages towards the star, who responded by pleading with the authorities to address social media abuse.
“Maybe you can think that it doesn’t hurt us,” she wrote. “But it does. We are humans. “And sometimes, when we receive these messages we are already emotionally destroyed after a tough loss.
“And they can be damaging. Many before me have raised the subject and still, no progress has been made.”
Despite her lack of individual Slam success, Garcia cemented herself as a cult hero in her home country by winning women’s doubles titles at the French Open in both 2016 and 2022. She was also part of the national team to taste victory at the Billie Jean King Cup in 2019.
The biggest singles win of her career though came at the 2022 WTA Tour finals, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final. That propelled her to her career high ranking, but she’s since failed to replicate the form she showed in Texas.
