Garcia makes no secret of the fact: "It'll mean the end".

Elio Valotto

le 09/12/2024 à 21h48

2 min to read

Garcia

Caroline Garcia finished her 2024 season well ahead of the others. Plunged into an extremely difficult year and facing serious mental health problems, the Frenchwoman had decided to call time on her year in September.

In full preparation for her return to competition at the Australian Open in January, Garcia gave a little of her time to our colleagues at L'Équipe.

Without taboo, she explained how she sees things: "I'll get angry from time to time, but I don't want to talk negatively to myself for two games in a row, telling myself that I'm useless, that I'm useless... I want to move on from the next point.

And that's a process, because for fifteen years, that hasn't been the way I work. There will be difficult moments, but if I can keep a healthy state of mind, I'll carry on.

And if it becomes toxic again, and I lose sleep over it and have anxiety attacks, that's the end of it. I would have tried until the end.

In fact, I want to discover tennis and the adventure of the circuit in a different way. To be myself, happy, proud of my efforts and not depressed for three days after a defeat. Sometimes I have regrets, telling myself that I could have worked like this for years.

It's also a question of personality. I like to go beyond my own limits, but I'm far from being the most competitive player. I also grew up not having any friends on the circuit.

It's all competition, you can't trust anyone... This year, the launch of my podcast (Tennis Insider Club) has enabled me to create a bond with the guests.

It feels good to connect with people! I feel like I've lost years of not socializing. As a woman, it was really hard. I thought: 'If I don't play tennis, what am I going to do? I don't know how to do anything else. And when you lose, you almost question your existence."