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 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 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.
Osaka teams up with Serena's former coach
Naomi Osaka is hopeful that her stint with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou will develop into a long-term partnership, the four-times Grand Slam champion said on Wednesday after easing into the second round of the China Open.
The 26-year-old split with coach Wim Fissette earlier this month after four years together across two stints and arrived in Beijing this week with Mouratoglou, who previously guided her idol Serena Williams to 10 of her 23 major titles.
Former world number one Osaka is looking to reignite her career following a patchy run of form having returned to the tour nine months ago after a long maternity break.
"I'm calling him my coach right now. I didn't know there was a lot of interest in my players box. I'd say he's my coach right now," Osaka said after beating Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-2 in her first match under Mouratoglou.
"I try not to get into relationships with people for the short-term. I try to think of it as a long-term commitment. I like the way he coaches.
"I think it's going to be really interesting."
Osaka said she was initially hesitant to approach Frenchman Mouratoglou, who has also worked with Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Simona Halep and Holger Rune among others.
"The fact that he was Serena's coach made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big. This isn't rude because I found out it's not true, but I didn't know ... I didn't know if he was a good coach or he coached Serena," Osaka said.
"Then I met him, talked to him, worked with him on the court. He absolutely is a really good coach. I'm really glad that he's taking this project on, as well.
"I would say I'm still a little nervous around him. I look to the floor when he looks at me. I think I do need a lot more time to spend together with him. I'm getting a little more comfortable day by day."
