The US Open is the last slam of the year, but it also marks the end of Caroline Garcia’s professional tennis journey. The French player announced her retirement earlier this year, right before the French Open. She confirmed she would say farewell to tennis after the US Open. Fans were sad to hear the news but hoped for a memorable sendoff. Now, after finishing her opening match against Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova, things didn’t quite go Garcia’s way, but she isn’t too upset.

On Monday, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, Garcia gave her all in her final court battle. The match went to three sets, ending in a loss for her: 4-6, 6-4, 3-6. But for the Frenchwoman, the amazing crowd and the electric atmosphere were exactly the farewell she wanted.

Speaking during her post-match farewell ceremony, Caroline Garcia, a former World No. 4, said, “Thank you so much for everyone for being here for my last match. It means a lot… All the support. Thank you to USTA for giving me a little something. It’s very special obviously.” She added, “Tennis brought me so much. Some great emotions, some tough ones. It shaped me to become the person I am today. I grew a lot. Especially the last years. I’m very at peace with my decision to say goodbye to tennis at competition level… suffering over there, I cannot handle it anymore. It’s too much. I love the game. I’m very proud to be able to say that. 12 months ago that wasn’t the case anymore. So I’m very proud of this last season and leaving it the way I do and with my career.”

With this match, Caroline Garcia made her final pro appearance in 2025 at age 31. She closes out a stellar career with 11 singles titles and eight doubles titles. She climbed as high as No. 4 in singles and No. 2 in doubles on the WTA rankings. She also captured the WTA Finals title in 2022, and back in 2016, she teamed up with fellow Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic to win the French Open women’s doubles title. Ending a 45-year wait for a homegrown pair to triumph at Roland Garros. Six years later, she added another crown jewel by storming to the WTA Finals title in 2022. For French tennis, these were landmark moments.

Her singles career tells an equally powerful story. By age 31, Garcia had already captured 11 WTA Tour singles titles, three of them at the prestigious 1,000 level, which sits just a step below the Grand Slams. At the 2022 WTA Finals, she marched in as the No. 6 seed, fought her way out of a brutal group featuring then-world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and then took down Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

That same magical season, Caroline also reached her best Grand Slam singles result to date—making the U.S. Open semifinals before bowing out to Jabeur. But the road to those heights wasn’t all smooth. Before her surge in 2022, Garcia battled through tough stretches, even stepping away to recover from a nagging foot injury and take care of her mental health. It was a reset she truly needed, and when she came back, she turned it into one of the most inspiring comebacks of the season. So why is she stepping away now?

Caroline Garcia reveals her reasons behind retiring

Playing her first event since a French Open first-round exit, the Frenchwoman opened Cincinnati with a gutsy 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win over Sonay Kartal, her first victory since March. Still, she was firm about the road 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 admitted courtside.

That new chapter is already unfolding. Just last month, Garcia married Borja Duran and lit up social media with dreamy photos, calling it “The most beautiful day of our lives.” The post drew a shower of congrats from Paula Badosa, Garbine Muguruza, Ons Jabeur, Carla Suarez Navarro, and plenty more.

Off court, Caroline Garcia is keeping her plate full. The former World No. 4 enrolled at Harvard Business School last year and now co-hosts the Tennis Insider Club podcast with her husband. The show has grown into a must-listen, giving players space for unfiltered, meaningful chats. So yes, she may not be chasing old glory anymore, but she’s already serving up her next chapter!