Former world No. 4 Caroline Garcia has opened up about the moment she realised her love for tennis had faded, leading to her decision to retire when she found herself feeling happier as tournaments ended. Earlier this year, the 11-time title winner revealed that she was playing through “unbearable” pain due to an ongoing shoulder issue, relying on anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroid injections and plasma treatments just to step foot on the court.

The 32-year-old French star ultimately decided to call time on a glittering 15-year career at the US Open in New York, leaving behind an impressive legacy that includes 11 singles titles, two Olympic appearances in 2016 and 2024, and two doubles Grand Slam victories at Roland Garros in 2016 and 2022.

Garcia faced off against some of the biggest names in tennis during her career, including the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova, as well as current stars Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek, enjoying considerable success against them all. Despite these achievements, Garcia revealed she struggled to take pride in her success, always striving for more and putting immense pressure on herself.

“For many, many years, I always felt I didn’t do enough, or I didn’t achieve my goals and my dreams. I could have done more,” Garcia told the Express US ahead of the Web Summit in Lisbon. “And in the ranking, I always wanted to go higher and higher. Sometimes, when I was in the top 20, it felt like it wasn’t good enough. I was getting into a very dark place for no reason at the end.”.

As the internal pressure mounted, Garcia’s drive and joy started to wane. Garcia endured severe blows to her stress and anxiety levels, which became evident during matches. Crucial recovery and rest also turned into a luxury as Garcia struggled to regain her footing.

Garcia’s favourite aspects of competing frequently became the tournament’s conclusion. “My last couple of years were very tough. Not only because of my result, but more because, like, how I was handling my stress, my anxiety,” Garcia continued.

“I was sleeping very badly. I was just like, not in the right place. I was happier when the tournament was done than when it was happening, even if it meant like, I’d lost early. So for me, it was very difficult.

“I tried to change my mindset. I tried to change my team around. But I was just arriving at one point in my career where I wanted to kind of close that chapter and do something else with my life. But I was just like, kind of tired and like, with no more motivation. And I didn’t have what it takes to be at the top mentally or physically, also.”

The haze also proved challenging to lift. “I was not always able to compete at my best mentally, because I was very nervous. So I was not able to have my mind very clear,” Garcia said.

“And with my game style, as soon as my mind starts to have some doubt, and some clouds, it becomes very messy. And I began to give a lot of free points. And in my game style, I also didn’t really have a plan B. So sometimes in those bad days, I was not able to kind of go through and have one more match, I was probably giving some free matches too often. And it took away some opportunities.”

Nevertheless, two months following her retirement, Garcia possesses a renewed outlook, having managed to step away and look back on her career with fondness – viewing it in its complete form. “It’s been a long career,” Garcia remarked with a grin.

“It’s been many years on the pro level. And even if I started in 2011, my pro circuits, like the junior years, and the years of training early, it feels like it’s been forever and all my life. You know, like, little by little, I’m able to be proud of what I achieved and what I’ve done during my career, either in singles, but also in doubles. I’m starting to be more proud of my career, what I have achieved, what I’ve done with the team I had also around me.”

A razor-sharp Garcia proved a fearsome presence on the WTA Tour, demonstrating this during her standout 2022 campaign. Garcia claimed the French Open doubles title before recording her finest singles Grand Slam showing at NYC’s Flushing Meadows, reaching a semi-final clash against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur. The Saint-Germain-en-Laye native ended the season by winning the WTA Finals against current world No. 1 Sabalenka, securing a huge prize fund.

“When I was getting confident, and I was getting in a good rhythm, especially in 2022, every time I was stepping on the court, I was very clear in my mind with what I had to achieve, what I wanted to do on court, how I wanted to play. And when I was very clear about my game style and what I’m confident in myself, I was able to be very dangerous,” Garcia declared.

Garcia launched the Tennis Insider Club podcast alongside her husband, Borja Duran, a year and a half ago, offering fans a unique insight into Garcia’s life off the court, while also providing unparalleled knowledge and expertise. “I’m trying to discover also what I’m going to like, what I’m going to be good at, and see what opportunity will come,” Garcia said.

“But we launched a podcast with my husband one and a half years ago, and it’s been growing a lot, even if we were doing it on tour while I was still competing, so not with a lot of time on my hands.

“But it’s something that’s very important for me. It really helped me to grow my identity as a person outside of being a tennis player. It helped me a lot in building confidence to try new things and discover new things, because for a long time, I believed I was only good at tennis and couldn’t do anything else. So for me to try to do this, to discover how it was going to be, it’s very important.

“And so this is going to be my main occupation for now. It’s going to continue to do Tennis Insider Club podcast, spend more time on it. So obviously we’ll keep growing a lot and see what comes my way.”

Family plans are also on the horizon. “We would like to build a family. So let’s see what life gives us!” concluded Garcia.

Don’t miss any episodes of Caroline Garcia’s Tennis Insider Club podcast, featuring interviews with your favourite stars and coaches.