As she enters her 13th Roland-Garros, the fourteenth even if we go back to an elimination in the first round of qualifying in 2010, Caroline Garcia remembers her first memory of the tournament. "I was less than 10 years old," says the No. 5 seed. I'd get home from school, have a snack and sit in front of the TV. The ritual lasted every day in front of two weeks. I dreamed in front of the girls who played and I told myself that one day I would be in the place. I thought that one day I too would lift this trophy. When she was 10 years old, it was the Belgian Justine Henin who dominated the circuit.
Wearing the Suzanne Lenglen Cup at arm's length on June 10, Caroline Garcia still dreams of it. "Roland-Garros is my favourite tournament," continued the Lyonnaise. It's in France, in front of the French public, in front of my relatives who are in the boxes. There is nothing for me above a victory here in the final. It's at the top of my list, above the Olympics. »
To achieve this, there is still a long way to go. He starts this weekend against China's Wang Xiyu, world number 78. "I confess, I don't know her," Garcia admits. I just know she's a confident left-hander because she's coming off a good tournament in Rome. For the rest, I'll just try to get into the tournament well. »
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Men and women combined, Caroline Garcia is the only blue-white-red seed. It is on her alone that the hopes of a good course rest, as far as possible in the second week. "On paper, Caroline Garcia is obviously the spearhead of the French on this edition," said Amélie Mauresmo, the tournament director. She arrives being 5th in the world, with certainly few benchmarks and not much confidence. In my opinion, it will be necessary for her to see match after match, here it makes sense when there is a period with a little less confidence. Trust: the word is dropped. Winner of the doubles tournament with Kristina Mladenovic, Caroline Garcia began her crazy 2002 year here 12 months ago. She remembers in passing today that at the beginning of the fortnight at the time, no one was interested in her. Only, 2022 is only a nice memory. Caroline Garcia arrives at Porte d'Auteuil being bad in her sneakers.
"For the past few weeks, I've had bad timings"
After an average start to the season, since early February Garcia has lost in her first or second match in six of the eight tournaments she has played. The only exceptions were a final (lost to Vekic) in Monterrey (Mexico) and an eighth final in Indian Wells. On clay in 2023, she has a dismal record of three wins and three losses. "For a few weeks, and even since the beginning of the year, I have bad timings, I read trajectories badly," she regrets. Surely a problem of concentration, reading the game, I have trouble explaining it. There are phases like that where I make the mistake when nothing happens, she noted. I make mistakes that can be put in the stupid category. »
And after her coach Bertrand Perret, who left suddenly just before the Masters - before returning at the beginning of April - it is her physiotherapist and physical trainer Laura Legoupil, the other key person of her renewal, who did a lot to get her back on her feet and rebuild her a physique ready for the high level, who brutally said stop at the end of March.
"I don't predict anything"
About ten days ago, after her elimination in the third round of the tournament by the 100th player in the world (6-4, 6-4 by Osorio), she left Rome crying. A summary of the torments that have been gripping his brain for months. "Sometimes it's hard. I make the effort but it does not work, she said in Rome. It affects me to do what I do on the field, not to do well in fact, simply because I am concerned about what I do, I make the effort, I feel like I am doing things well, and I want to go all the way. Except that when I get on the court, everything I did well (in training), I don't do it anymore... »
The ochre earth of Paris has fortunately given her the smile, the one she has displayed since she trained on the Philippe-Chatrier court. Casual? Not yet. Determined? For sure. This tournament could be that of a new resurrection. Or not. "I don't predict anything," she says. At the moment, I have only one ambition. Focus on myself and move forward lap by turn. It's often the right recipe. At Roland Garros, Caroline Garcia played a quarterfinal in 2017. She never went any further. Last year, she lost in the 2nd round.