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. 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.
