In our CGTN Sports Scene tennis special series Beyond the Baseline, we interviewed women's singles World No.4 Caroline Garcia, the defending champion in Wuhan. She has had a fantastic year, achieving the highest ranking in her career. The 24-year-old shared her experiences and also talked about equality in the tennis world in a freewheeling interview with Sports Scene's Mike Fox.
“It's been a long year and a lot of things happened on and off court," Garcia told CGTN. "It's not been really easy and initially I struggled a bit but I did my best and want to improve with the next couple of tournaments. Of course, I am very happy to be back here.”
The year saw the Frenchwoman making a steep rise in the WTA Rankings and she sounded happy about that.
“I have made it to the fourth in the world rankings and it's been a great achievement. It's something I have really worked for. I am still trying my best to have more outstanding performances. I am still gaining experience and doing my best everywhere I play.”
Last year's Wuhan Open was a memorable one in her career. She confesses to feeling the pressure of being the reigning champion but remains optimistic about her chance of success this week in the central Chinese city.
Caroline Garcia of France poses with her trophy after beating Ashleigh Barty of Australia at the women's singles final match at the WTA Wuhan Open tennis tournament on September 30, 2017. /VCG Photo
“I wish I could keep my last year's winning form here going. Last year it was a difficult tournament for me and I fought really hard till the end. Sometimes you just need to take one day after another and you may have a chance to go further.”
She also mentioned her positive impressions about China.
“Every country has its own identity for sure and cities vary. We don't have a lot of time to have a look around the city and look deep into the culture. But of course, you see a bit in countries like Japan and China. It's always been different in these countries and the atmosphere is different as well. It's enjoyable every week.”
Garcia remains hopeful about the ongoing changes in terms of equality in world tennis but hopes for more, sooner or later.
“The WTA has been doing a great job in terms of ensuring equality between men's and women's tennis. They have made a huge progress in such a short time. You know there are some discretions and I don't always agree about it. I think the world has made a lot of improvement about respect for men and women. There is still room for improvement but at this stage, I feel it's very respectful.”
Although the season's four majors are already over, Garcia hasn't been thinking too much about next season.
“I haven't really thought about the next season so far. It's coming fast but still, there are a lot of tournaments to play and there are some big ones in the remaining months of this season. Thus, I want to be focused on the ongoing season as of now. Once this season gets over, I will still have a month to practice for the next season and I will think about it only then, not now.”