Sara Sorribes Tormo is no stranger to big moments. From ‘humble‘ beginnings, Tormo comes from a small village, La Vall d’Uixó, in eastern Spain, where she grew up with her family. Her dad, Leopoldo, used to play football for CD Castellon, and her mother, Manoli, was a tennis instructor. The latter introduced her to the sport at the age of 6. Talking about her initial days, she once said, “I liked everything about it, but I really liked every sport. I was very active and at one point my mom said ok stop, go play tennis.“ Later on, she went to an academy in Valencia to practice, and that’s where she started to take tennis more seriously. In 2021, she made a name for herself by knocking out the then-world number one Ash Barty at the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, Tormo has enjoyed some real highs in her career, but the latest news is a downer.
On Thursday, through an Instagram post, she announced her indefinite (possibly for good) break from tennis: “Hello everyone, I wanted to tell you that I’ve decided to take some time. Some time for myself, for my mind, and for my body. I’ve been suffering for many months on a tennis court. The cheerful and happy Sara that you see off the court is far from the reality of everything I carry inside….
…I’ve lost the excitement to train, to improve, and even to go to tournaments. The moments of suffering far outweigh those of calm and this is coming from someone who has always loved to work, improve, and compete.” When will she make a comeback, then?
Sara Sorribes Tormo clarified, “That’s why, in addition to needing help, I feel that I need to stop and rest. I don’t know if it will be permanent or temporary. I want to be coherent and consistent with what my body feels. See you, Sara.”
Sara Sorribes Tormo’s most recent singles appearance was on April 1st at the Copa Colsanitas, where she lost her Round of 32 match against Selena Janicijevic of France with a score of 1-6, 2-6. However, just five days later, there was a positive note for the Spaniard as she partnered with defending champion Cristina Bucșa to win the doubles title at the 2025 Copa Colsanitas, defeating Irina Bara and Laura Pigossi 5–7, 6–2, [10–5] in the final.
Clay courts have always been her favorite surface, and her favorite tournament is Roland Garros. Sorribes Tormo, ranked 40 in singles and 85 in doubles, won her maiden WTA Tour (and clay) title at the 2021 Abierto Zapopan in Guadalajara.
Reflecting back on Sara Sorribes Tormo’s career, she made her WTA Tour main draw debut at the 2015 Rio Open. A year later to that, she qualified for the first time for the main draw of a Grand Slam championship (French Open), and in 2017, she debuted in the top 100. Her career-highest rank has been 32, which she achieved in February 2022.
Interestingly, Sara Sorribe Tormo never set a goal for a ranking or a result of her career. Her goal was simply to finish the year where she could be proud of what she had done. “That’s the way I understand tennis and the way I understand life,“ she said in March 2021. Talking about the dream-come-true moment in her career, she once said, “The Olympics (Tokyo) was the best experience of my life. I don’t have words to describe it, and I’m so emotional about it..I think it’s amazing, this life I’m able to live. This life is amazing. I’m just trying to enjoy it.”
This break for Sara Sorribes Tormo comes at an interesting time, coinciding with the start of the WTA 1,000 Madrid tournament next week. Notably, Madrid holds special significance for Sorribes and her partner Bucșa, as they celebrated their biggest career doubles title there just last year. Adding to their recent success, the pair also secured a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics last summer and triumphed in Bogotá just days ago.
Interesting Fact: Growing up, Sara Sorribes Tormo idolized Serbian superstar Ana Ivanovic and David Ferrer. But when she was asked to name a player she’d love to play against, she named Serena Williams.
With just a few days away from kick-starting action at the Roland Garros, this news has now come out like a bolt from the blue for all her fans. Talking about the French Open, well, Sara Sorribes Tormo has been involved in some controversial moments at this tournament in the past. What is it, though?
Sara Sorribes Tormo faced a severe backlash for a controversial incident at the 2023 French Open
In the R16 of the 2023 French Open doubles event, Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova took on Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi. During that match, there was a moment when Kato accidentally hit a ball girl, and hence she and her doubles partners were given a warning.
After that, both Tormo and Bouzkova were seen going up to the chair umpire and telling him that the ball girl was crying. Seeing this, the supervisor was then called, and what was initially a warning ended up as a disqualification for Kato and Sutjiadi.
Following this, several fans alleged that Tormo and Bouzkova went to the chair umpire with the intention of having their opponents disqualified. Some of them were furious after seeing them smiling when the tournament officials appeared to agree on a default for Kato and her teammate.
While addressing all these criticisms, Tormo then said, “We were saying that the ball kid was crying because we were scared. And that the ball was direct because he didn’t see it. All the rest — the decision was taken by the supervisor & I think we haven’t done anything bad. That’s the only thing I’m going to say.” She further added, “First of all, it’s a very bad situation that happened yesterday. Also, for Marie and for me, it’s tough to see what people are saying. The only thing we did yesterday was go to the referee and explain to him what happened.”
Now, seeing her taking a break from the sport, what are your thoughts about her career so far? Let us know about your views on her bold decision, too.
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