There was no official retirement announcement. Fans only realized she was done after spotting her name on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s list of retired players. Despite attempts by the WTA to reach her, neither Giorgi nor her family offered any confirmation,
and she later relocated permanently to the United States.
The situation became even more unusual when reports surfaced accusing Giorgi and her father of tax evasion related to the years 2013 and 2014, along with claims of unpaid rent on a villa in Florence. Giorgi has firmly denied all allegations. After briefly leaving Italy, she surprised many by reappearing publicly at the Venice Film Festival.
Speaking on the Italian television show Verissimo, Giorgi dismissed claims that she had fled the country. “It wasn’t an escape,” she explained. “I moved to America permanently with my parents.” She also placed responsibility for the tax issues on a former lawyer, insisting her family was unaware of any problems. According to Giorgi, outside professionals mishandled her affairs, and she rejected accusations about unpaid rent or removed furniture, stating the property was unfurnished and everything inside had been purchased by her family.
Giorgi turned professional in 2011 and made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon, exiting in the first round. The following year, she made headlines with a surprise run to the fourth round, beating two top-20 players before losing to then-world No. 3 Agnieszka Radwańska. While she regularly qualified for major tournaments, deep runs were often elusive.
She returned to the spotlight at the 2013 US Open after upsetting Caroline Wozniacki, though once again she fell in the fourth round. Five years later, she finally broke through at Wimbledon, defeating several notable opponents to reach the quarter-finals, where she pushed Serena Williams by taking the opening set before bowing out.
Representing Italy at the Tokyo Olympics, Giorgi advanced to the quarter-finals, just one win away from a medal, but was stopped by eventual bronze medalist Elina Svitolina. Shortly afterward, she claimed the biggest title of her career by winning the Canadian Open in Montreal. Her impressive run included victories over Elise Mertens, Petra Kvitová, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Karolína Plíšková in the final. The triumph propelled her back into the top 40, and later the top 30 following a strong showing at Roland Garros.
