Caroline Garcia closed off an eye-opening 2022 campaign by claiming her biggest career title at the WTA Finals on Monday night in Fort Worth, Texas. The 29-year-old Frenchwoman, the first player from France to claim the prestigious title since Amelie Mauresmo in 2005, demonstrated her talents by becoming the only WTA player to win titles on all three surfaces in 2022.
Garcia finishes the year by matching her career-high ranking of No 4 in the world, and coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes she can do even better than that in 2023. Mouratoglou says that if Garcia can develop consistency on tour, and maintain trust in her aggressive, high-risk game style, she can challenge for Grand Slam titles and even the No 1 ranking.
KEY MOMENTS
19″ – Consistency is key, says Mouratoglou. Will she consistently be able to play the same brand of first-strike tennis without any hesitation over the course of a full season? “If the answer is yes, I think she is probably, currently, the best player in the world.”
53″ – Iga Swiatek has set the bar high when it comes to consistency. This is the player that Garcia must measure herself against. “If you look at Iga, that’s her No 1 quality,” says Mouratoglou. “She’s super consistent, so for Caroline that would be the key.”
1:09″ – Winning the WTA Finals was a massive step for Garcia. “Winning the WTA Finals is very important for a player,” says Mouratoglou. “Because the best players are participating and when you are able to win it it says a lot about the level you are able to play.”
1:25″ – Going deeper at the majors is the ultimate test, and this will be Garcia’s biggest challenge next season, after reaching her first semi-final at the Slams at this year’s US Open. “It’s one thing to reach the semis,” Mouratoglou says of Garcia’s trip to the last four at the US Open. “It’s another thing to win it. Those two matches (semis and finals at majors) are the most difficult matches, with the pressure that comes with it.”
1:45″ – The next logical step is a Grand Slam title for Garcia and Mouratoglou believes her chances have increased because of her performance in Fort Worth. “She has beaten a lot of the top-10 now, not only [at the WTA Finals] but also in the last months,” says the coach. “So I think this experience will be very useful for her and make her believe that she has a chance to win a Grand Slam, so I think she has a very good chance to win a Grand Slam next year.”
