Caroline Garcia is happy to have made a winning start in Lyon after a heartbreaking end to her Australian Open campaign. At the Australian Open, Garcia made the round-of-16 before suffering a surprise straight-set defeat to Magda Linette.
On Tuesday, Garcia played her first match since the Australian Open as she defeated Tereza Martincova 6-4 7-6 (4) in her Lyon opener. After beating Martincova, Garcia revealed she blamed herself for the Linette loss and admitted that it was important for her to win her Lyon opener.
“I needed a match, to regain confidence. You always take time to recover from a Grand Slam defeat. I have had opportunities that I failed to take so I blamed myself. It felt good to come back here and see family, friends again,” Garcia said, per Tennis Actu.
Garcia hoping to do well on Lyon
Garcia, who resides in Lyon, is the top-seeded player at this year’s tournament. Garcia is playing in front of her family and friends as she is hoping to clinch her first Lyon title this year.
“I have to ignore the pressure, focus on tennis and how to recover well. I have to focus on what is essential for me. Here, I always want to do well. I am grateful to have the opportunity to play for Lyon, home. Not everyone has it in their career.
I have a lot of friends and family who come to support me every day. I want to share that with them because I play a sport where I travel a lot,” Garcia explained. Garcia, 29, is making her fourth appearance on Lyon. In 2020, Garcia reached the Lyon quarterfinal.
The following year, Garcia didn’t impress as she exited Lyon in the round-of-16. In 2022, Garcia had her best-ever Lyon run as she made the semifinal. Garcia is the top favorite to win this year’s Lyon title and it will be interesting to see if she can enjoy a triumphant week.
