Former world number one Garbine Muguruza has confirmed her retirement from tennis with immediate effect.
The 30-year-old, born in Venezuela, announced her decision on Saturday at a press conference in Madrid.
“I feel like I’m ready to retire, to start this new chapter in my life. A new era, a new life,” she said.
“I was nervous, I wanted to say it. I feel good, even if the word retired is a bit strong,” she said.
She retires as the second most successful Spanish singles player of all time, behind Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who won four Grand Slam singles tournaments.
Muguruza beat one of the Williams sisters for both of her Grand Slam titles, becoming only the second tennis player born in the 1990s to win a major tournament.
She beat Serena at the 2016 French Open as part of a 14-game winning streak, having lost to her in the previous year’s Wimbledon final. She then beat Venus at Wimbledon 2017 – including a final bagel – before spending four weeks at world number one later that year.
Muguruza celebrates after beating Williams to win Wimbledon in 2017 (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Muguruza has often described the Williams sisters as “role models” for her career since she was growing up, not only in terms of the standards they set for women’s tennis, but also for developing a style of play based on power and forefoot aggressiveness. the Spaniard will make hers her own throughout her career. Writing in El País in 2022, on the occasion of Serena’s retirement, she said Williams “created a ‘before and after’ that forced us to be better.”
Muguruza reached at least the final in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, losing to American Sofia Kenin at the 2020 Australian Open. Her best results at the US Open came in 2017 and 2021 , but she only reached the fourth round on both occasions. In 2021, she recorded a surprise victory at the WTA Tour Finals, entering as the fifth seed and emerging on top in a showcase of the extremely powerful game.
Muguruza’s final match took place at a WTA 250 event in Lyon, where the then world No. 82 lost in straight sets to qualifier Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic; her last Grand Slam appearance came in a straight-set loss to Belgian Elise Mertens in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open.
The two-time Grand Slam champion took an extended break from competition in April last year, to spend more time with friends and family, and has not played since. In October 2023, she declared that “tennis has no place in my routine”.
“I always pay attention to my teammates, from time to time I can play but not intensely but more for fun. It doesn’t occupy my mind, my day, or my routines.
(Han Yan/Xinhua via Getty Images)
News Source : theathletic.com
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