Caroline Garcia

Caroline Garcia is a French tennis player who has achieved a lot of success in both singles and doubles.

Blessed with a classical technique and a solid all-round game, Garcia has hovered around the top 10 rankings in singles for a while and is expected to challenge for the big titles in the years to come. She is already a Grand Slam champion in doubles, having won the 2016 French Open with Kristina Mladenovic.

Best finish at each of the four Grand Slams:

Australian Open: 4th Round (2018)

French Open: Quarterfinalist (2017)

Wimbledon: 4th Round (2017)

US Open: 3rd Round (2016, 2017, 2018)

Highest Ranking: No. 4

Style of play

Garcia is an aggressive player who uses carefully measured shots from the baseline to move her opponents around the court.

She hits both her forehand and backhand with plenty of topspin, but can also hit slice backhands with underspin. She employs a lot of variation in long rallies, frequently bringing out drop shots and lobs to keep her opponents guessing.

Garcia doesn't approach the net a lot in singles, but is very comfortable at the net - as reinforced by her extensive forecourt play in doubles.

Strengths and weaknesses

Garcia's forehand is her stronger wing, and she can both attack and defend off it effectively. She can push her opponents wide off the court with the heavy crosscourt forehand, and can also hit flat forehands down the line.

The Frenchwoman has a powerful and accurate serve, which she uses to gain an advantageous court positioning during the rallies. Her backhand is solid but unspectacular, and is mostly a rally shot.

Garcia's net play is very sharp, and many believe she should come to the net more often. She also has great touch, both at the back of the court and the front, and can bamboozle her opponents with her reflexes.

Garcia's shot selection can be a bit of a weakness, as she often makes unforced errors at the wrong times. She also sometimes suffers from the fact that she is not as powerful as the big hitters at the top of women's tennis, and not as quick as the counterpunchers; she doesn't have a unique weapon which she can use to dominate her peers.

Personal life

Garcia was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, but currently lives in Lyon. Her parents Louis Paul and Marylene introduced her to tennis at the age of five, and have been coaching her ever since.

Garcia made a big splash at the Grand Slams when she was just 17, taking a 6-3, 4-1 lead against Maria Sharapova in the 2011 French Open. While she went on to lose that match, she had shown enough of her shot-making skills to prompt Andy Murray to say she would be World No. 1 some day.

While that day hasn't arrived yet, there is no questioning that Garcia has put together a very impressive career for herself. In 2017 she won back-to-back titles in Asia, triumphing in both Wuhan and Beijing, to secure a maiden qualification to the year-ending WTA Finals. She also created a very successful doubles partnership with Kristina Mladenovic, winning the 2016 French Open doubles title with her.

Garcia and Mladenovic have since split up, even getting involved in a public feud over the separation. Garcia wanted to focus more on singles, but Mladenovic told the media she wasn't happy with the way Garcia had ended the partnership without warning.

Nevertheless, Garcia continues to captivate the French media because of her versatile game, and remains one of the strongest hopes for a home-grown singles champion at Roland Garros.

Social media presence:

Caroline Garcia Instagram: @carogarcia

Caroline Garcia Twitter: @CaroGarcia