"These last 2 days have been very difficult" - Caroline Garcia shares news of her grandmother's death in the lead-up to US Open early exit

Caroline Garcia's stay at the US Open 2023 ended prematurely, as she stumbled out of the competition in the very first round.

Garcia, seeded No. 7, crashed out of Flushing Meadows in her opener against former top 50 player Wang Yafan of China in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, on Tuesday, August 29. The Frenchwoman was defending 780 points in New York this year after having reached the semifinals last year. This early exit adds to the long list of troubling results for the 29-year-old on the 2023 WTA Tour.

After the match, Caroline Garcia shared that she faced a personal ordeal on the eve of her US Open first-round contest. Garcia lost her grandmother on August 29, and the last 2 days have been "difficult" for her and her family.

Taking to social media, the Frenchwoman wrote that she was not in the mental state to attend her post-match press conference and wished to spend more time with her family. As a result, Garcia has withdrawn from her women's doubles match at the US Open. She and Kristina Mladenovic were set to face Alize Cornet and Katarzyna Piter on August 31.

"These last 2 days have been very difficult for my family. My grandmother passed away on Monday afternoon. I couldn't attend to the press conference after my loss, the emotions were too overwhelming."

"My heart needs to be with my relatives to bid my grandmother a last farewell, this is why I have to withdraw from the doubles with Kristina (Mladenovic). There is time for everything in life. Today, tennis is secondary," Garcia tweeted.

Caroline Garcia continues to struggle in 2023 after an early exit at US Open

Caroline Garcia

Caroline Garcia has seen her form nosedive in 2023 after failing to defend any of her titles so far. Her win/loss record on the WTA Tour stands at 29-19. An early exit in the US Open is yet another disappointing outcome for Garcia, who still has to defend her 2022 WTA Finals title.

Garcia has reached only two finals in 2023, both coming at 250-level tournaments in Monterrey and Lyon. Moreover, she could not defend her titles at the Bad Homburg Open, the Warsaw Open, and the Western and Southern Open (where 900 points were at stake). This slump has seen Garcia's ranking drop from World No. 4 to World No. 7. After the US Open, she is on the verge of leaving the top 10 altogether.

More troubles await Garcia as she has to defend the 1,500 points that she gained after winning the WTA Finals last year. However, she is nowhere near the top 8 of the WTA Live Rankings needed to qualify for the WTA Finals. The Frenchwoman is currently ranked No. 22 in the live Race.