Camila Giorgi’s retirement from tennis has taken another interesting twist.
The 32-year-old Italian, a 2018 Wimbledon quarterfinalist who was once ranked as high as No. 26 in the world, retired earlier this month, without any warning, to pursue a career in lingerie modelling.
She was listed on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) retired players list after her official retirement date, which was May 7, 2024. That paperwork removed her from the list of players who get drug tested.
It turns out, that her interest in fashion was far stronger than her interest in tennis as she treats her large following on social media – she has 744,000 followers on Instagram – with her scanty outfits.
But then, her already titillating retirement took an even more scandalous turn, when her landlord in Calenzano, Tuscany, accused her of not paying rent for six months and stealing furniture as she bolted for the United States, the New York Post reports.
“They made half of our furniture disappear,” the landlord told La Repubblica, according to The Sun.
“Persian rugs, fine furniture, even an antique half-ton table. We are talking about damage between 50 and 100 thousand euros [roughly $54,000 to $108,000.]”
That’s between R100,000 and R200,000.
The landlord said he had contact with Giorgi’s father, who reportedly also ran off to the US along with Giorgi’s mother Claudia and her brothers, Leandro and Amadeus.
“I wrote to him that they must at least give us back our things, he responded in a contemptuous way saying that they were objects of little value,” the landlord claims.
“A hateful behavior, for those like me who have suffered economic but also emotional damage.
The landlord said that he can’t know how much is true or how much Camila owes the State, “but I know what he owes us,” he said.
“Those objects are part of my mother’s life and mine: I want them back, at least this much, given that we have lost hope due to the thousands and thousands of euros in back rent.”
When Giorgi confirmed on May 12 that she retired from tennis, she thanked her fans for their support, adding that “There have been many inaccurate rumours about my future plans, so I look forward to providing more information about exciting opportunities ahead.”
“It is a joy to share my life with you, and let’s continue this journey together. With much love, Camila.”
La Gazzetta dello Sports previously reported that Giorgi fled Italy for the US because she was wanted by Italian law enforcement due to gaps in her tax returns.