“If this happens to you, it’s not the end of the world,” Caroline Garcia share her insights on defeating Bulimia

Caroline Garcia gave a glimpse of the numerous struggles that she has to face every day to keep herself competitive in the sport. She talks about the pains she have to endure everyday and her struggles against Bulimia.


“If this happens to you, it’s not the end of the world,” Caroline Garcia share her insights on defeating Bulimia

Caroline Garcia (Image Credit: World Nation News)

Caroline Garcia completed the last WTA season with a bang! She won the 2022 ATP Finals trophy. Her greatest achievement in her singles career. This win propelled her to World No.4 in the WTA rankings by 2022. She also won the French Open 2022 doubles event with compatriot Kristina Mladenovic. Her career’s second Grand Slam title in doubles event.

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However, even after so many victories and a magnificent season, she still struggles sometimes. She in a recent interview disclosed that she is suffering from Bulimia. Bulimia nervosa, often known as bulimia, is a severe eating condition that may be life-threatening. Bulimics may covertly binge and purge, seeking to burn off the additional calories in an undesirable way. Binging is defined as consuming excessive amounts of food without self-control.

“Everyone is different. Some will stop eating and for me it was the opposite: I used to take refuge in food. You feel so empty, so sad, that you need to fill yourself. It came from the distress of not managing to do what I wanted to do on court, of not winning anymore, of suffering physically.

“Eating would appease me for a few minutes. We all know it does not last but it was an escape route. When you’re alone, it’s harder to control. In tennis, you spend a lot of time alone in your room. It’s how it often happened,” she said.

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Caroline Garcia’s struggles that helped her to become a champion

Caroline Garcia (Image Credit: Pehal News)

The Frenchwoman was in the form of her life in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. She won the Wuhan Open and China Open (both Premier mandatory tournaments) titles in 2017. Caroline Garcia defeated some of the top seeds in these tournaments including Ash Barty, Petra Kvitova, and Simona Halep. She attained her career’s highest ranking, i.e., the World No.4 in 2018 for the first time in her career.

Garcia not only talked about her battle with the disease, she also told that she has found a way to deal with it. “I started talking about it, to my relatives, to friends, to my parents. You begin to understand. You realise that if this happens to you, it’s not the end of the world. Sometimes it’s just fatigue that makes your body crave sugar. It’s not going to change your life either.

“Sometimes it was inexplicable. I needed to fill myself up to make up for the defeat and the pain. Since I’ve been taking time for myself, it happens less. And when it happens, I accept it better and feel less guilty. Allowing myself some regular indulgences helps me avoid having too many of these cravings,” she continued.

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“Defeat became an excuse to allow everything to me. This is much less the case today. In the players’ restaurant, there are plenty of temptations, it’s not easy. You learn about yourself as you go,” Garcia said.

However, she soon began to drop ranking points. Soon, she found herself out of Top 70 in 2021. A foot injury also made matters worse for her. However, she found a way to return to the court and soon began stepping up the ladder.

“After being top 10, having won Masters 1000 (Wuhan and Beijing in 2017), it’s hard to accept. In Miami (in March), I couldn’t take the pain anymore and I couldn’t train anymore. I didn’t want to anymore,” she revealed.

“I told myself that I would never get rid of these foot pains which also bothered me in my everyday life. There have been many tears, sleepless nights, this year and last year already. When things are not going well, you are more and more alone. You think. You lose a lot, so you no longer have the emotion of victory, even that of a first round, when you need it. And you don’t sleep anymore,” she added further.

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She is an inspiration to many and the amount of pain she has taken to be able to compete at the top-level is extraordinary. She is leading the campaign of France in the United Cup 2023. The Frenchwoman is also a contender to win the Australian Open in 2023.

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