A FORMER tennis star has revealed why she left the sport amid claims she “ran away” due to tax evasion.
Camila Giorgi announced her retirement from the sport in May and moved to America.
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Giorgi, 32, made her shock announcement amid claims she owed up to six months of rent at a villa in Calenzano, near Florence.
At the time it was suggested that she was trying to evade tax authorities, which she has denied.
The Italian has now been accused of fleeing from her owed rent by the disgruntled landlord of the villa.
They claim that she removed “half the furniture” from the villa, including rugs and antique tables.
The former world No.26 has now given her own version of what happened in a TV interview.
She told Canale 5’s Verissimo: “Did I suddenly disappear? That’s the version they said.
“I didn’t disappear, I had to make an announcement in Paris about my withdrawal, then it came out on the anti-doping website that I had retired and the thing became public.
“I lived a little in Italy and a little in the United States.
“We stayed in Miami for three years.
“I would like to stay there forever, but I often return to Italy, I just don’t like to talk about what I do and it seems like I’m hiding.
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What Giorgi’s lawyer has said
Lawyer Edmondo Tomaselli has insisted that Camila Giorgi retired from tennis for personal reasons.
He told Corriere del Veneto: “Camila Giorgi is in Rome. In recent months she has been away for professional reasons.
“In short, she has not run away at all, as some have claimed.
“It’s all just talk, no desire not to be found, just personal commitments.
“Her fans have always followed her through her Instagram page, she has never been unavailable.”
“Now I’m happy, I’m where I would like to be.”
Lawyer Edmondo Tomaselli has insisted that Giorgi did not “run away” and denies the allegations made by the landlord.
When asked about the furniture, Giorgi insisted that it was paid for by herself.
She added: “We did not flee for tax reasons.
“I never fled, I never spoke. We did not pay the rent and we took the furniture?
“The house had no furniture, we brought it ourselves.”
During Giorgi’s career, she competed in all four Grand Slams and reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2018.
In 2021, she reached the same stage of the Tokyo Olympics.
In her last appearance on the court, she was knocked out of the Miami Open by world No.1 Iga Swiatek.
She now appears to have crossed over to modelling on social media and often shares glamorous pictures of herself for her 734k followers on Instagram.
Giorgi’s retirement post
Here is what Camila Giorgi said when annoucing her retirement from tennis…
She wrote: “Please trust this Instagram for truthful information.
“To my lovely fans, I am happy to formally announce the retirement from my tennis career. I am so grateful for your wonderful love and support for so many years.
“I cherish all the beautiful memories. 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.”