She is the player who Andy Murray once predicted would be number one in the world but is now retiring at just 31

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French tennis has a long and storied history within tennis, having produced some of the sport’s most iconic players.

And, crucially, their capital city plays host to one of the four most prestigious tournaments in the tennis calendar, with Paris’ Roland Garros a coveted honour.

Players the world over dream of claiming this prize, but very few get the honour.

That being said, the iconic red clay of the French Open often presents the opportunity for upsets as players sometimes struggle to adapt.

One man who never had to adapt, given skill on clay was almost his birthright, was Rafael Nadal, who thwarted an entire generation with his mastery at Roland Garros.

Andy Murray was just one of many who fell at his hands in this competition, which has become more of an honour than a curse in hindsight.

The Scotsman, who is a legend in his own right, actually has an odd link to French tennis himself though. After all, it was he who predicted that Caroline Garcia would one day become the world’s number one.

Andy Murray predicted Caroline Garcia to reach world number one

Garcia started her professional career in 2011, and instantly made a name for herself.

The hype was more than justified too, as she came desperately close to dumping the world number one Maria Sharapova out of the Australian Open that same year despite being just a wildcard.

She led 6-3, 4-1, but proceeded to lose the next 11 straight games.

However, such a display led Murray to take to Twitter to make a bold claim.

Frustratingly, she never did reach that lofty level, having to settle for a career-high ranking of fourth. Garcia reached the semi-finals of the US Open in 2022, a year where she also won the WTA end-of-year finals, and made it to the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2017.

Solid performances, but not quite as good as Murray had hoped.

Caroline Garcia to retire at French Open

That’s not to downplay what has been a wonderful career, which will sadly come to an end imminently.

Garcia announced earlier this month that she would retire following the conclusion of this year’s French Open, and was subsequently knocked out in the first round by Bernarda Pera.

Caroline Garcia’s best Grand Slam performances

However, she did state that there will be ‘a few’ additional tournaments that she will play in before fully calling time on her wonderful career.

An offensive baseliner who caught the eye with her relentless power and rock-solid serving, this 31-year-old will be remembered fondly not just by French tennis, but by the entire community.