“One game at a time, one set at a time,” Caroline Garcia described her rise from being ranked number 79 in the world in June to the now spectacular number 4.Ā She knew that to win the WTA Finals in straight sets of 7-6, 6-4 against Aryna Sabalenka, all of her tactics and strategies had to come together in defeating the top 7 women players in the world. The competition was tough but Garcia left it all out there on the court to succeed.
The Final was indeed the biggest title of her career but she sharpened her skills and shined on different levels more than any professional women tennis player in the world. She’s won 36 matches from June but four was her magic number as she captured four titles on four different playing surfaces. Garcia had won the Bad Homburg on grass, Warsaw on red clay, Cincinnati outdoors on the hard courts and the WTA Finals indoors on the hard surface. It seems like the turning point in Caroline’s upsweep in success was winning the doubles title with Kristina Mladenovic at Roland-Garros back in May. She was constantly improving in her singles matches and stayed focused to keep her consistency after that. Garcia thanked her team for helping her achieve her goalsĀ and said “We decided to go on what I do best” when it comes to playing super aggressive and fast on the competitive court.
The Frenchwoman slid and sliced her way to defeating eight top-10 players and defeated the world’s no. 1, Iga Swiatek twice within her six month run. “It has been phenomenal to watch the rise of Caroline Garcia,” says Tennis Channel’s commentator and former player Chanda Rubin. The formula of Garcia’s success cannot be cornered into a single strategy. It was her adjustment ot different players’ styles and learning quickly to break down their pattern of performing to win points and matches big time. The ability to play consistently but aggressively was the recipe Garcia learned to overpower her opponents. She had left 18-year-old Coco Gauff frustrated, Swiatek simply disgusted and Maria Sakkari shaking her head on not being able to overpower and outsmart the versatile Frenchwoman. It takes skills and magnitude to adjust to every players mantra as Garcia had did. Especially in the championship round, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in that tug-of-war over who would win the final points. Commentator Chanda Rubin had observed the magic of Garcia’s success at “Not allowing Sabalenka to reset…” There were times when the Belarusian became the more aggressive one but Caroline kept hammering away, making Aryna hit that one more ball. “I tried to move her around and it worked out,” Caroline said grinning broadly while being interviewed at the commentator’s desk after her win. Sabalenka agreed with Garcia’s techniques and stared at Caroline with an envious eye saying “You played unbelievable tennis tonight.” The Frenchwoman came back at Sabalenka with a compliment too, saying, ‘You were a great fighter.”
Both players know that the outcome could have been so different but being defiant is what it takes. Caroline admitted with her opponents’ on court performances and her own that “Sometimes you go for it, but you miss it…I didn’t.” Chanda Rubin summed up the remarkable play of Garcia at the commentator’s box saying “This is her moment. She played her heart out. She deserves it.” The new number 4 in the world, Caroline Garcia acknowledged her own transformation and after winning the WTA crown said “I’d like to thank all the persons who made me a better person and a better player.” Caroline’s confidence and abilities have skyrocketed and for sure the next season 2023 will be truly something that will be strongly awaited not only by all the fans and tennis community but by Caroline Garcia herself.