Former world number four Caroline Garcia will not play
again this season after being left "exhausted" by anxiety and panic
attacks.
The 30-year-old Frenchwoman did not made it past the second
round of a Grand Slam event this year.
As well as a shoulder injury, Garcia, who is now 36th in the
rankings, says she has been suffering from the mental toll of life on the tennis
tour.
"I’m tired of living in a world where my worth is
measured by last week’s results, my ranking, or my unforced errors,"
Garcia wrote on X.
"Mentally, I need a reset. I need to step away from the
constant grind of tennis.
"I’m exhausted from the anxiety, the panic attacks, the
tears before matches. [I'm] tired of missing out on family moments and never
having a place to truly call home.
"Physically, I’ve been pushing my shoulder to its
limit, trying to recover while competing, and it’s just not working. I need
more time off to heal properly."
Following a surprise first-round US Open defeat by Mexico's
Renata Zarazua in August, Garcia called out the "damaging"
abuse tennis players suffer online.
World number one Iga Swiatek criticised the tour schedule in
August, saying players' mental and physical health is ignored.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka withdrew from the
2021 French Open after suffering with depression and went on to take a break
from the sport.
American 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff also previously
spoke about struggling with depression because of the "pressure
that she needed to do well".
Despite winning 11 WTA titles and two doubles Grand Slam
titles in her career, Garcia says she has been fixated on her failures, rather
than her successes.
"In my mind, I’ve been stuck on what I haven’t
achieved. I never made it to number one, never won a (singles) Slam, never
reached an Olympic podium. I’ve been inconsistent, unable to stay in the top 10
for a full year," she wrote.
"I’m choosing to step away for now. I’m taking a few
weeks off to recharge, then I’ll start preparing for 2025 early—getting ready physically,
mentally, and tactically."
