Caroline Garcia chooses principles and refuses $270,000 to protect the integrity of tennis
When former world number four Caroline Garcia received a sponsorship offer from a wagering company for $270,000 for her tennis podcast, she faced a difficult choice. Her decision to turn down such a significant amount of money for ethical principles sparked widespread public response. Why are more and more athletes today choosing principles over financial gain? How is the growing influence of wagering changing the atmosphere of professional tennis and affecting players’ personal decisions? This story vividly illustrates the current conflict between money and morality that modern sport faces.
Garcia’s decision and its motives
Caroline Garcia reported that she received a large sponsorship offer of $270,000 from an unnamed wagering company. It was expected that the partnership would involve her joint podcast with her husband Borja Duran, Tennis Insider Club. On social media, Garcia admitted that the refusal was not easy for her. “It was a tough ‘no,’ especially right after finishing my career,” she wrote. According to the athlete, it is important for her to build a platform where participants feel safe, can be honest and open without the pressure of wagering advertising. Garcia noted that she does not want her project to even indirectly support an industry that creates vulnerability for athletes. The question of choosing between material well-being and inner convictions became a personal dilemma for her.
The pressure of wagering and its impact on tennis
After Garcia explained the motives for her decision, the question arose about the role of wagering in modern sport. In recent years, the wagering industry has significantly increased its influence on tennis, leading to a number of negative consequences:
- the rise of cyberbullying of athletes by losing wagerers
- an increase in threats and insults after unsuccessful matches
- the development of addiction among fans and the destruction of their personal lives
Caroline Garcia said that after her loss at the US Open, she faced a wave of harassment from people who had wagered on her game. She noted that in two years of working on the podcast, almost all interviewees—players, coaches, agents, parents—spoke about the growing pressure and hatred caused by wagering. The term “bettor” refers to a person who places wagers, and “cyberbullying” means aggressive, offensive messages on the internet. Garcia emphasized: “I do not want the podcast to contribute to a system that provokes addiction and turns athletes into targets for daily attacks.” According to a number of experts interviewed by The Guardian, cooperation with wagering companies can exacerbate these problems, making the atmosphere in sport more toxic.
Caroline Garcia’s refusal of advertising cooperation provoked a wave of mixed criticism. In discussions on the social network X, users split into two camps: some supported Caroline, others wrote that they would have accepted the offer without hesitation. Among the fans, there were also those who wrote that they would have turned a blind eye to advertising in the podcast, since such an amount would have helped the project’s development.
We looked for representatives of wagering-related sites to find out how common it is to pay such large sums for advertising. The authors of the project www.casinosbonusca.com, which reviews popular online casinos, responded to us. They said that in the industry, such amounts for integrations with famous athletes are not uncommon, especially when it comes to personal platforms with an engaged audience. According to them, betting companies more often seek to associate themselves with trust, which makes such offers attractive, but at the same time increases the ethical burden on public figures.
Most likely, fans will not be able to change Caroline Garcia’s mind, since the athlete rarely uses social networks, devoting more time to training and her podcast.
Challenges, injuries, struggle, and Garcia’s personal experience
Caroline Garcia’s rethinking of her attitude toward the betting industry is not accidental. She has gone through a difficult path in professional tennis, which included:
- 11 WTA singles titles
- victory at the prestigious WTA Finals in 2022
- reaching the semifinals of the 2022 US Open
- triumph in doubles at Roland Garros in 2016
However, Garcia’s career was not cloudless. She had to struggle with injuries, take breaks from professional activity, and in 2022 she openly spoke about her battle with eating disorders. The reason was chronic pain after a foot injury and the psychological pressure of constant performances. It was her personal experience that helped Garcia feel especially acutely the problems of pressure and psychological abuse, which today are exacerbated by betting and aggressive fanaticism.
A look at the podcast’s mission and the future of tennis
Garcia’s decision to refuse cooperation with a betting company is also connected to the mission of her media project. Tennis Insider Club raises internal topics of sport, inspires listeners, and seeks to support honest stories. The podcast was created together with her husband Borja Duran, and its goal is to tell about tennis so that athletes and fans can hear real, not commercially colored stories.
Garcia notes: “Our goal is to inspire people and develop tennis so that it is safe and beneficial for everyone.” Recent episodes of the podcast discussed topics of emotional pressure, honesty, and fighting addiction. For Garcia, it is critically important not to associate the project with the betting industry, which, in her opinion, can undermine trust and divert discussion from real problems. Is it possible today to talk about integrity in sport without discussing the influence of betting? This question is becoming central for the entire tennis community.
