Retired star shares why she turned down $270k podcast sponsor: 'We choose values over money'

(Getty/Robert Prange)

Former world No.4 and recently retired player Caroline Garcia has explained why her podcast turned down a whopping $270,000 sponsorship offer to make an important statement.

Garcia, a WTA Finals champion in 2022, hosts the Tennis Insider Club podcast alongside her husband, Borja Duran, where the pair have interviewed many star names, including Justine Henin, Garbiñe Muguruza, Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula.

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Despite being offered a "huge amount of money" by a betting company to serve as a podcast sponsor, Garcia revealed that the offer was turned down for reasons of principle.

"Today we turned down a $270,000 sponsorship offer from a betting company for our podcast," Garcia wrote on social media.

"It's a huge amount of money, especially for an independent sports show and for me, someone who just retired from pro tennis. But here is why we said no.

"Over the past two years of interviewing players, coaches, agents, and parents, one theme keeps coming back again and again: betting has become one of the biggest sources of pressure, abuse, and hate in modern sport.

"Every player, from Top 10 stars to ITF grinders, has stories. DMs full of insults after a match. People demanding money back because they lost a bet. Even death threats. Not because of sport. Because of gambling.

"I do not want Tennis Insider Club to contribute, even indirectly, to a system that fuels addiction, destroys lives, and turns athletes into daily targets.

"Betting companies spend millions on sponsorships because it works. It shifts attention. It shapes behaviour. It normalises gambling. But we do not want our community pushed in that direction.

"This is not a moral crusade. I am not judging anyone who bets casually, or athletes who accept betting sponsors. I am simply choosing what we want to stand for, and what we do not want to amplify.

"Our mission is to tell real stories from inside tennis, inspire people, and grow the sport in a way that is healthy for athletes and fans. Taking betting money would move us in the opposite direction.

"And if we expect athletes to trust us enough to be vulnerable on the podcast, to share their fears, doubts, and mental health battles, then we need to show them that we choose values over money.

"$270k is a lot. But building something long term, honest, and good for the sport is worth more. We will find partners who believe in that vision, who want to grow with us, not exploit the pressure athletes already face.

"Thank you for supporting what we are building. We are just getting started. And we are doing it the right way."

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