Carlos Alcaraz offers support to Sara Sorribes Tormo after she announces break from tennis

Former world No. 32 Sara Sorribes Tormo announced Thursday that she's taking a break from professional tennis that may become permanent, pointing to mental and physical health struggles.

The 28-year-old, known for her intense, defense-centered style of play, made the announcement in a candid hand-written letter posted to Instagram, where she confessed she's been "suffering for many months" on court.

"The cheerful and happy Sara that you see off the court is far from the reality of everything I carry inside," she wrote. "I’ve lost the excitement to train, to improve, and even to go to tournaments. The moments of suffering far outweigh those of calm, and this is coming from someone who has always loved to work, improve, and compete.

"That’s why, in addition to needing help, I feel that I need to stop and rest. I don’t know if it will be permanent or temporary. I want to be coherent and consistent with what my body feels."

Currently ranked No. 85, Sorribes Tormo has famously played more than 20 WTA-level matches that have lasted three hours or more in the last four years, with a four-hour, 15-minute win in Beijing last fall clocking in as the fourth-longest match of the Open Era.

Sorribes Tormo's announcement came just days after she helped Spain clinched a berth in September's Billie Jean King Cup Finals by chipping in a win over Brazil's Laura Pigossi, and after she and compatriot Cristina Bucsa won the doubles title at the WTA 2025 Copa Cosalnitas Zurich in Bogota earlier this month. What made it all the more surpising was that it came ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open in Madrid, where Sorribes Tormo and Bucsa won their first WTA 1000-level doubles title last spring--the first all-Spanish team to ever do so.

But health comes first, and her news was met with a wave of support from her peers, including "a big hug" from Carolina Garcia and Sara Errani, "love and healing" from American Lauren Davis, and "admiration and strength" from her BJK Cup teammate Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

Carlos Alcaraz, Sorribes Tormo's Olympic teammate in Paris in 2024, also offered words of support in his post-match press conference at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

“It’s a shame to see Sara, someone so cheerful, say these words and take a break from tennis for a few months," he said. "I hope she finds the answers she needs, and hopefully, we’ll see her smiling and fighting again soon—because she’s a warrior.”

Sorribes Tormo has won two WTA singles titles and five doubles titles in her career, and had a career-best win over world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty at the Tokyo Olympics.