FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Tennis - Women's Singles First Round - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - July 27, 2024. Caroline Garcia of France reacts during her first round match against Jaqueline Adina Cristian of Romania. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo
PARIS (Reuters) - Former world number four 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 U.S. 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 doubles Grand Slam titles and 11 WTA 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 number one, 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 number 36 Garcia, however, is still determined to come back in 2025.
"I’m choosing to step away for now. I’m taking a few weeks off to recharge, 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.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
