In the high-stakes grind of professional tennis, most players keep going until their bodies simply refuse to cooperate. Caroline Garcia chose a different path. On May 23, 2025, the former world No. 4 announced she would step away from the sport after one last run at Roland Garros and a few select tournaments. It marked the end of a 15-year career that began when she was just 16. And after her first-round match in Cincinnati, she opened up about the real reason behind the decision.
Caroline Garcia lifted the French Open women’s doubles trophy in 2016 alongside compatriot Kristina Mladenovic. The win made them the first French pair to claim the title in 45 years. It was a landmark moment for French tennis.
Her singles résumé is equally impressive. The 31-year-old has collected 11 WTA Tour singles titles, including three at the 1,000 level, the tier just below the Grand Slams. In 2022, she arrived at the WTA Finals as the No. 6 seed and advanced from a group that featured then-world No. 1 Iga Świątek. In the final, she beat Aryna Sabalenka, who had already taken out the world No. 1, No. 2 Ons Jabeur, and No. 3 Jessica Pegula in earlier rounds.
That same season, Garcia reached her best singles Grand Slam result, making the U.S. Open semifinals before falling to Jabeur. The path to those highs was not without setbacks. Before her 2022 surge, Garcia endured a stretch of tough results. She stepped away from the game to recover from a foot injury and address mental health challenges. It was a reset that eventually paid off on the court.
Despite mounting such an epic comeback, the Frenchwoman is clear on not repeating it. Cincinnati is her first tournament since a first-round exit at the French Open. She started with a comeback win over Sonay Kartal, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, marking her first victory since March. Still, the result doesn’t change what’s ahead. “I’ve been at the top and what it takes to be at the top again, I don’t have the strength to do it anymore. And that’s fine. At one moment, you have to take another way and open another chapter of your life,” she said in her on-court interview.
Caroline Garcia, on why she decided to stop her career:
“I’ve been at the top and what it takes to be at the top again, I don’t have the strength to do it anymore. And that’s fine. At one moment, you have to take another way and open another chapter of your life.”
(via @tennis) pic.twitter.com/hC5fp5JrOm
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) August 10, 2025
That new chapter is already underway. Caroline Garcia got married just last weekend.
Caroline Garcia has already taken a step into her next chapter
Caroline Garcia and Borja Duran got engaged in June 2024. A year later, a magical wedding took place at the historic La Torre Del Remei in the Catalonia region, complete with a traditional church ceremony and a lively dance floor where Garcia even crowd-surfed. “The most beautiful day of our lives,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing a carousel of images from the day. The celebration drew congratulations from Paula Badosa, Garbiñe Muguruza, Ons Jabeur, Carla Suárez Navarro, and many other players.
“It was such a special day, obviously,” Garcia said during a post-match press conference, as quoted by Tennis Channel. “It was even better than in our own dreams. We did it our way and we were very happy to have all of our friends and family there to celebrate our special day with us.”
Though Garcia has some tennis left in her, she’s already stepping into new roles. Last year, she enrolled in Harvard Business School. The former World No.4 also co-hosts the podcast ‘Tennis Insider Club’ with her husband. The show has built a strong following and given players a platform for candid, meaningful conversations.
Her focus is now on building a life beyond tennis, one that blends personal milestones with new professional ventures. Caroline Garcia’s final chapter in tennis is almost written. However, given her track record, she will surely ace whatever comes next!
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