Caroline Garcia: ‘I will remember it all my life’
Caroline Garcia, the French No. 1 and No. 17 seed in the women's singles, lost to Romania's Jaqueline Adina Cristian 5-7 6-3 6-3 despite overwhelming support from the stands.
Playing in her third Olympics, Garcia aimed big in her singles match. The woman from Lyon is also entered in women's doubles (with Diane Parry) and mixed (with Edouard Roger-Vasselin). Scheduled in the third match on Saturday under the closed roof of the Suzanne Lenglen court, she lost the first match of her Paris 2024 campaign but now wants to turn her attention fully to the other events.
“In singles, whether you lose in the first round or in the quarter-finals, it's the same, you get forgotten,” she said. “It's also the charm of the Olympic Games. There are other chances and here, unlike the Grand Slam tournaments, the singles and the doubles are events considered equivalent.
“This morning, (French team coach and captain) Ivan (Ljubicic) and Julien (Benneteau) insisted on the fact that all the medals were beautiful and that they don't have the details written on them.”
Everything started well for the Frenchwoman. By breaking to love in the seventh game then making a new difference at the end of the first set, she took the lead, provoking an ole and a very nice standing ovation in the stands.
“The atmosphere was incredible, it was really very different from Roland Garros,” she explained, very moved. “We expected it, we knew it would be like that. There are no words to describe the support I received on the Suzanne Lenglen, I can't even imagine what it will be like if French athletes manage to perform well and go far in competitions.”
“It's a unique experience. Being able to experience the Olympic Games at home, especially in this stadium, I will remember it all my life […] Feeling the support of the public from the first to the last point, no matter what happened on the court, that means a lot because it hasn't always been an easy relationship in France."
But the machine seized up somewhat and Garcia’s opponent was quick to equalize at one set all. Above all, ‘Caro’, although very aggressive on the return, did not get the slightest opportunity during this second set.
Capable of slipping unreturnable shots down the lines (40 winning shots) as well as committing gross errors in favourable situations (50 unforced errors), the Frenchwoman had the merit of hanging on in the final set, first by breaking, then saving break points at 5-2, then dismissing a first match point on her serve at 5-3.
“I did my best but my level of play for several months has not been the best of my career,” she conceded. “During the match, there were bad choices, a bit of haste in important moments during which she was more solid and better in her choices. It made the difference. There are lots of things that came into play today, lots of emotions, there were ups and downs which I tried to manage as much as possible. It's not the best I can do but it is what it is, it's frustrating.”
But despite the tension and audience support for Garcia, Jaqueline Cristian didn't falter, finally winning this first marathon in the women's draw in 2 hours 35 minutes. After the defeats of her compatriots Irina-Camelia Begu and Ana Bogdan on Saturday, respectively against Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini, she brought a smile back to Romania's supporters.
For her part, Garcia will try in the coming hours to recover from this setback in order to quickly turn to her future matches. “I have to quickly move on because tomorrow, I'm going to play doubles. You have to question yourself and recover well,” she said.