Caroline Garcia was eliminated on Thursday in the semi-finals of the US Open. However, she did not manage to reproduce the so aggressive and risky game that had allowed her to fly over at the beginning of the tournament against Ons Jabeur. Despite this, Caroline Garcia is unmoved and says, “My game, I assume it.”
How do you explain this complicated start to the match?
It was poorly pinned, and the beginning of the match did not go to my advantage in any way. There were one or two instances were to tell you the truth, I didn’t go there, and there were many more points after that. The arm did not pass as well, and given the way I play, this caused me to occasionally miss my target: the ball either got away from me a little bit or went into the net. She was able to discern what I was creating, which made my game less effective than it usually is and contributed to our very good match.
Were your difficulties more mental or physical?
The majority of it is mental. However, when there are a lot of sequences, the tension also takes a lot of energy, and, we’re not going to lie to one other, in the 14th game in a row, there is sure to be a little bit of physical exhaustion. Even though I have achieved significant improvements in my physical health.
there is a lot of disappointment, a little frustration, but today I went anyway, I produced my game even if it was horrible to take winning passings
Caroline Garcia
How do we manage this stress?
We are about to go on an adventure into the unknown, but that is part of the excitement of progressing farther in competitions and of making it deeper into the Grand Slams. You are aware that you are currently competing in the semi-finals and that the championship round is drawing ever closer. What more can you do to advance the situation? It’s the kind of stress that’s good for you. A couple of months ago, I had the desire to be in the same place that I am now. Therefore, it is unavoidable that there will be a great deal of disappointment, as well as some aggravation; nonetheless, today I still went there, and I produced my game, even though it was really difficult to take winning passings. On the other hand, I never would have had that mentality a few years ago. When my game isn’t working as well as it should, it’s not as lovely to look at, but when it is, we’ve heard nice things about it from other people.
What conclusions do you draw from the last few weeks?
In Cincinnati, the winner takes home a Grand Slam half and a Masters 1000 title. A game that is becoming more and more clear in my thoughts, which is effective when I can let my arms pass and when I am feeling good physically. There is still a significant amount of space for advancement across the board. There was not a long-line backhand played today. The long line forehand was another unsuccessful strategy. In addition to that, there is a great deal of optimism for the future.
Read more about how Caroline Garcia transformed into a player who believes she can win the US Open here.
The score is severe, did you feel helpless against the 5th in the world?
Frustration was present, that’s for sure. I was behind 6-1 and 4-1, and I just couldn’t figure out how to win. She interrupted me, she had a good understanding of my game, and all of a sudden I was having longer exchanges… The fact that I couldn’t hit as hard as I wanted to free myself on my legs and the fact that that wasn’t the issue any longer frustrated me. She was in the correct rhythm and the right place at the right time. I do not doubt that we will play again; when we do, we’ll find out if she always has such a fantastic day, and I’ll do my best to have an even better one. However, she had a very successful year; if there had been points awarded at Wimbledon, she would have been ranked much higher than that. Therefore, my congrats to her, and I now hold the responsibility for getting even.
