Players' Voice - Caroline Garcia: Winning a Grand Slam becomes a concrete dream after WTA Finals triumph

At 29, Caroline Garcia has found pleasure and ambition again and intends to transform this euphoric period into something much more lasting. Her success at the WTA Finals gave her the most prestigious title so far, but she's not holding back anything for the future.

A Grand Slam? The world No. 2 spot in the WTA Rankings, even world No. 1? Why not? Feeling good about herself, and confident in her tennis, the new Garcia sees her dreams turn into ambition.

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I see the Masters [WTA Finals] as my greatest achievement. It's usually considered as the fifth biggest tournament of the year, just after the Grand Slams. The format is special. The match against Kasatkina was a bit like a quarter-final. The one who won was going through. It was quite extreme tension for the last round-robin match. You have to win at least four matches against girls who are ranked from No. 1 to No. 8, and that is over a week, so it's still quite intense, while you can win a Grand Slam without beating girls in the top 10, top 20. So it's a title that means a lot to me.

Is it a relief for me? I don't know. Yes and no. Maybe that takes a little weight off me. But at the same time, it makes the dream and the goal of winning a Grand Slam even more concrete because it makes you want to go for much more. That's sport; that's tennis. Once you have accomplished something, you always want to go for more.

Trying to go for the biggest titles is what fuels my motivation. It's the main reason why I'm training every day. Sure, the Masters is very important, it shows me what I'm capable of, but I think my game can still improve. I feel I'm able to achieve greater things. After reaching the semis at the US Open and then winning the WTA Finals, winning a Grand Slam becomes a concrete dream, a tangible one, even if there is still a long way to go. I still have seven matches to win to get a Grand Slam. The road is not shorter now that I won the Masters.

But I guess it makes me even more confident that it's not impossible. It shows me that I'm able to go for a Grand Slam title. It will be two challenging weeks in many areas for sure, but I have the style and the level of play to do it. Now I know how to deal with bad days. That doesn't mean I'll be able to go over and beat the opponent that day, but I have the skills to do it so I'm much more confident.

I already reached the No. 4 spot in 2018, but the situation is different today, for many reasons. First of all, I am five years older and you don't view things the same way. At the time, I was stepping into the unknown. Not anymore. I've already been there and I know what to expect. I have a little more knowledge of what is going to happen. We could not handle things correctly, but we can rely on that somewhat negative experience. It gives some clues to know how to deal with this time. I feel more at ease to manage that and choose the option which seems the best. I have more weapons to handle success.

My game has been stable for the last six months since I came back from injury at the French Open. I managed to win matches without playing my best tennis. But still, I found ways to escape in some of those matches. Above all, my identity on the court is very clear. Whether it works or not, that's where I have to go, how I want to play. I think that I am much more able to assume this style of play, when it's going well and when it's not working so well. I assume my attitude, my identity, and the presence that I need to show on the court to impose myself on my opponents.

Now in my head, things are much clearer. I came back this year a bit from nowhere by imposing a well-defined style of play. I knew what I wanted to do, and in which direction I needed to go. It's really super important. Physically, I think I can still progress. We started doing a lot of stuff but only at the end of the season. We still have to work in this area and that can bring me a lot on the court. So there could be some interesting months and years ahead.

Regarding the rankings, I see them as a consequence of my results. Afterwards, when you get close, of course, you know that the world No. 1 spot is something quite legendary. It's historic in a career. So it's part of the things to do or try to accomplish at least once. Let's say that Iga [Swiatek] has set the bar high, there is no need to hide it. Anyway, given the scenario, it will be almost impossible to reach it without winning a Grand Slam. So I'm going to try to be solid all year and see where it brings me.

I could very well arrive in Paris for the French Open sitting at the No. 2 spot in the rankings. It's a possibility. Honestly, I don't really think of that right now, even if it helps you to set higher standards for yourself to reach those spots. It makes me eager. The first part of the season is going to be interesting, it comes very quickly with the Australian Open. We'll see what I can do. But sure, It would be nice to arrive at Roland-Garros with an even better ranking.

I learned so much about myself this year, thanks to my injury. This break with tennis was an opportunity to learn as a woman and as a person. You gain experience, you mature over the years. Regarding tennis, I learned to take advantage of having a day off, that it's part of the training, and that it can be good to let your mind take a break and think of something other than tennis.

I realised that, from time to time, if I'm dying to eat pizza the day before a match, it might be better to go eat it rather than thinking of it all night. With my injury, I realised that, of course, winning a title brings you a different emotion, but winning in the first round at the US Open, or a quarter-final, or even a first round in a 250, also generates emotion and joy. For the day and the day after.

I'm so thankful that I'm enjoying everything a lot more. Before I used to see a lot more of all the sacrifices I was doing and I took less pleasure. Go for a walk. Have a little coffee if I only play in the evening. Take advantage of those moments. It's not this kind of stuff that will make me play badly in the evening.

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