Camila Giorgi has silently retired from professional tennis. The Italian’s name appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s retired players list, formally indicating her retirement status.
Giorgi played her last match in Miami against the world No.1 Iga Swiatek. She had rough draws at the beginning of the year and fell out of the Top 100 after her defeat at the Linz Open. She did the retirement as her style suggests: original, unique, and unconventional–like her game, personality, and approach towards the Tour. Retaining her mystery till the end and went her way with no fuss.
The Italian was always enjoyable to watch because of her pure ball-striking ability. Few players move that quickly and hit that hard. Just lightning, compact little swings and she would hit winners from anywhere. She could beat anyone on her day, including herself during an off day. Giorgi was a player no one wanted in their section of the draw.
Did She Fulfil Her True Potential?
Camila Giorgi was one of the best tennis players ever among those who never made it to the Top 20. She was a fierce competitor who could outplay big names when on. Giorgi lost multiple finals with match points in her favor before winning her first WTA title in 2015. She went on to win 3 more titles including her biggest in Montreal in 2021, beating Karolina Pliskova in the final.
Giorgi was always someone to watch during the grass season, where her game really came to life and she was always a dangerous player on that surface. Her only Grand Slam quarterfinal was at Wimbledon back in 2018. Former Top 10 player Marion Bartoli, after winning Wimbledon in 2013 ,said that she felt only two of the players she played en route to the title could beat her. One was Sloane Stephens and the other was Camila Giorgi, who was just 21.
The Italian had an excellent career considering her low percentage style of play but did she maximise her potential? She played a high-risk, high-reward game that often went off the rails and cost her matches, How many times did she lose a match after leading a set and a break? Probably more than most. She had 15 top-10 wins in her career which suggests that her peak level was high but the consistency wasn’t there.
The Ice-cold Persona and Lost Motivation
Giorgi hardly appeared to enjoy tennis when she was on the court and seemed to have lost motivation in the last few years. She mentioned it in September 2021: “Tennis is not my life. It’s a job. Every day I take my bag and go to work. In the future I will be doing other jobs, my life is outside. Sometimes it’s almost difficult to leave home and go play tennis.”
Probably after winning the Montreal Masters, she gradually began to lose motivation or maybe she was just someone treating tennis like any other job, turning up only when necessary and no more.
When Giorgi was playing on the court, she hardly ever showed emotions or facial expressions. With such an offensive game, it’s crucial to manage emotions in key match moments, but she always seemed to conceal her feelings with her cold attitude. When she won the title in Montreal, one could see that she was on the verge of crying but her character wouldn’t allow her to cry in front of the world.
Camila Giorgi’s highlights will always be dynamic to watch, and it’s fitting that she got her one big moment right near the end with that Montreal run where everything seemed to click for her. Her personality and tennis will be remembered by many in the tennis world.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
