PARIS — Cristian Garin is sad. He loves tennis, he is aware of the journey he has made and everything that still lies ahead, but in the year his father Sergio died, everything feels like an uphill battle for the Chilean, who admits he is not enjoying himself. He needs to be home.
“Yesterday, I don’t know, there were Europeans who lost and slept in their own beds. I lose and it takes me two days to get back to Chile. Far away, very far away,” Garín said in an interview with CLAY in Paris, shortly after being eliminated in the first round of the French Open.
He had felt good days earlier, training with none other than world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, but those good feelings did not return on Tuesday during a punishing afternoon of heat on Court 6 at Roland Garros. American Learner Tien, the 18th seed, prevailed 6-0, 2-6, 6-0 and 6-2.
Five years on from his career-high ranking of world No. 17, he is now 114th. His priority on Tuesday was to get back to Chile as quickly as possible to have his back examined — an injury he suspects is not minor — but that has not stopped him from setting his sights on the great challenge of September: the Davis Cup tie against Spain at the Estadio Nacional.
Chile “are not the favourites,” says the 29-year-old. But he has hope: “No, we are not. Not even at home. But we will have a chance to compete with them on equal terms, with the crowd on our side.”
Interview with Cristian Garin
— I was speaking earlier with Marcelo Demoliner, the Brazilian doubles player, and he told me he enjoys it, but that he can see not everyone enjoys tennis. Today it is hard to enjoy because you lost, you are coming off a difficult season… Are you enjoying your career, being a professional tennis player?
— That is a good question. I think being a tennis player is, obviously, a privilege. I remember when I started out, how difficult it was. And it is three times harder coming from South America compared to Europeans and North Americans. First of all, nobody guarantees you anything. There is no contract telling you that you will play for a team. This is an investment that in South America almost always falls on the family. In my case, my parents put everything on the line for me. When I reach this level I enjoy it enormously, but, obviously, like everything, the years go by and there are times when you lose motivation, lose sight of your goals a little, and frustration creeps in. Personally, I am not enjoying it right now because I have not been able to feel good physically. This week I was enjoying myself here at Roland Garros — I trained with the best, with Sinner, with Félix Auger-Aliassime, and that is where I love to be, competing alongside them.
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— And were you feeling good?
— I felt very good in training, but today I get to the match and I do not feel right. In the third set the pain I have been feeling these past few months comes back.
— What pain?
— My back. It is hard to enjoy yourself when things are not going your way or when too many negative things keep piling up. In general I enjoy tennis, but it is hard after ten, twelve years travelling the world, away from home. Things happen in your family and you miss a huge part of your personal life. Yesterday, I don’t know, there were Europeans who lost and slept in their own beds. I lose and it takes me two days to get back to Chile. Far away, very far away. It is hard. I am not going to tell you I do not enjoy it, but it is hard to stay motivated when things are not going well or injuries keep coming back and difficult things pile up.
— In the past, a tennis player at 29 was almost old. Today that is peak age, with many years still ahead. Do you feel that? Do you want that?
— Obviously I would love that, only what I do feel is that if I am not one hundred per cent physically, my level is not enough. Today there are a hundred and fifty, two hundred players competing at a very high level. If I am not one hundred per cent, I will not be where I want to be. That is what is difficult right now. If I am not fully fit and I am carrying injuries, I have a ceiling.
— But at the same time you are coming off a very difficult year personally. Are you not being too hard on yourself? Is it not understandable that you are not at your best during these months?
— Yes, obviously I have not had time to be at home. These have been very difficult months personally. I have been pushing my body to compete. Being here at Roland Garros was a big motivation. I enjoyed it until the third set, when I could not keep competing. The pain comes back and it is a sign that perhaps I need to stop and recover. If I am not one hundred per cent, I would rather stop. This is very frustrating — not being fully fit and getting injured again mid-match.
— Perhaps you will skip the grass court season to recover?
— I do not know, I have to see. Maybe there is nothing serious and it was just a scare, but right now I am in pain. I feel the match stopped me from competing properly — and he, Learner Tien, was also playing very well. I have to assess it tomorrow. Over the next few days I will look at it with my team and the doctors. At the start I came back to play in Monaco without having trained much and without the doctor’s clearance, and I felt better.
— You played a great match against Zverev…
— Yes. That is true. I have had a lot of ups and downs over the last two months. It is time to recover and see what happens.
— In Chile everyone is already looking ahead to the Davis Cup tie against Spain. Is that a goal? Something that motivates you, that gives you a spark?
— Yes, it motivates me a lot. It is a great opportunity to play against Spain at home. They have a very strong team. I do not think we are the favourites.
— Chile is not the favourite?
— No. Not even at home. But we will have a chance to compete with them on equal terms, with the crowd on our side. We have been in the World Group for many years now. It is the first time this group plays at home in the World Group. It is a special date in the calendar for me. But I want to recover. If I have to drop a few ranking points to feel better, I will do it, because it is not worth keep competing at fifty per cent.
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— Nicolás Massú has been very close to you during these months. What is your relationship with him? What does he mean to you?
— Since I was fourteen he has been very close to me. He has been there in very good moments and very bad ones in my life. He knows me well, he knows the commitment I have to him in Davis Cup. Outside of tennis we also have a very good relationship, we are always looking out for each other. He has been Davis Cup captain for more than ten years, and beyond tennis, I care about him deeply.
— Would you like him to coach you one day?
— Yes, obviously I would like that. He has a commitment to Davis Cup. I see him as an adviser — not just mine but everyone on the team’s, always keeping an eye on us. Hopefully one day.
— Have you never talked about it? Never fantasised about it?
— We have not talked about it. For now he is Davis Cup captain and has a commitment there. He has just finished his time with Hubert Hurkacz.
— Were you able to get involved in the tour debate over prize money and the potential boycott?
— It is a fairly particular issue. I will always support what the players decide, but I do not think there is much communication with the rest of us. When I read about it, the ones speaking up are obviously the leading figures — they are the ones raising their voices. But I do not know how they arrive at what they are asking for.
— Did nobody ask you?
— No. Nobody asked my opinion. And I think the majority of players do support it. What they are asking for seems valid to me, it seems fair. They are not asking for anything unreasonable.
DE LA PEÑA PONE A CHILE POR SOBRE ESPAÑA EN LA DAVIS
“Alcaraz no va a poder jugar. A Davidovich Fokina le va a costar muchísimo. Ahora aparecieron dos jóvenes con muchísima proyección, Rafael Jódar y Martín Landaluce, pero el resto de los jugadores están en el mismo nivel que… pic.twitter.com/PWcmSijqtX
— Clay (@_claymagazine) May 24, 2026
— Is there no WhatsApp group among all the players where these things are discussed? How does it work?
— It seems there is a group, but only among those who are on the board. Not being part of it, I don’t think the information reaches me. I think what they are asking for is fair, because I do not feel there is good communication between the players and the tournaments. At least in my case, nobody told me anything.
— Amélie Mauresmo, the Roland Garros director, says it is more important for those ranked between 100 and 200 to earn more, rather than those at the top, who are already well paid. Is that an option for you?
— I think the level today has risen enormously. If the world No. 200 can reach the third round here, it is because the standard is very high. You look at the Challengers, and the tennis these players produce is remarkable. Every day there are more tournaments, every day the tournaments are getting bigger. Since the first time I played Roland Garros, about ten years ago, this has changed incredibly. So things have to keep changing for the players too.
— There is something particular about tennis: you can have tens of thousands of people making a living playing football, but tennis players who actually live off tennis are… three hundred, four hundred? Men and women combined.
— Very few. The world No. 250 does not make money. And being South American, the investment does not add up. I think it has to work for everyone. Sabalenka generates what she generates, so she deserves to earn more. But the player who comes through qualifying here also has to earn more, because the tournament generates enough. I have seen full houses every single day. They put on exhibition matches and those are full too. I think things have to change. If you look at other sports, the distribution is much fairer. I am not saying this as a complaint — it is my opinion. I had no information before the boycott, but I think what they are asking for is right.
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