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Garbine Muguruza on Covid, comebacks – and coming to Abu Dhabi

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Garbine Muguruza

The Spanish former world No 1 tells ‘The National’ about the inaugural Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open and how she plans to approach the new season after a difficult 2023

When Garbine Muguruza last visited Abu Dhabi to compete in a WTA Tour event, life was decidedly different. It was January 2021 and restrictions designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were firmly in place.

The UAE’s vigilant response to the pandemic made it the ideal place to start the new tennis season, and so the one-off Abu Dhabi Women’s Tennis Open was created. There were no spectators, and the players were contained in ‘bubbles’, splitting their time exclusively between hotel room and tennis court.

“I could see the beach from my window, so I was there but not there because I was stuck in the hotel room,” Muguruza, 29, told The National.

“We would only go to the court. We couldn’t walk around or anything, so it was hard. I got to see the city a little bit on the way to the court, but this time I’m definitely going to go out, go to restaurants, do some sightseeing and experience more of Abu Dhabi.”

The opportunity for Muguruza to enjoy Abu Dhabi for real has been made possible with the addition of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open to the WTA Tour calendar – and in the Spaniard’s case, the invitation of a wildcard.

The 500-level tournament, to be held February 6-12 at Zayed Sports City, will be a permanent fixture on the tour and adds to the Middle East swing already comprising the Qatar Open – taking place the following week – and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, starting on February 19.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Muguruza said, when asked about Abu Dhabi being added to the calendar. “Because of Covid, it’s opened up the tour to new markets, so it’s a good thing.

“I’ve been to places where tennis wasn’t perhaps so familiar, and I felt it was a great opportunity to take tennis to these places. In the Middle East, it’s great we get more tournaments. Tennis might not be the No 1 sport but that can change, especially when these events are happening, and we give people the chance to see more of the sport.”

For much of her career, Muguruza would enter such tournaments as one of the top seeds and a leading contender for the title. Being a world No 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion will generally attract that sort of status.

Instead, the Spaniard will arrive in the capital ranked outside the top 80 and without a win this year. Last season, she won just 12 matches and only twice claimed back-to-back wins. It marks an alarming and curious drop in form for a player who concluded the 2021 season with the WTA Finals title and ranked world No 3. Earlier that same year, she won the title in Dubai.

Garbine Muguruza

Yet, there appears to be very little bitterness or frustration at her current predicament. Over Zoom from her hotel room in Australia, Muguruza was in fine form, full of smiles and happy to engage openly about her on-court issues. The key, she said, has been to stay calm.

“I’ve had so many moments in my career where I’ve been so high, and other moments when I’ve not been so high. It’s a process of trying to get back up there,” Muguruza said. “Now I’m focusing on training hard and being humble.

“You have to know that maybe you haven’t had the success recently as you had in other years, but that’s fine because things can change very quickly.

“With tennis, one week it can go wrong, then next week it can go well, then everything changes again. I think experience helps me to stay calm in the not-so-good moments when I haven’t been playing as well or results haven’t followed.

“That’s where the experience comes in; to stay calm and keep working hard. And if you have to be a little more humble, that’s good too. It’s really a rollercoaster, the athlete’s career.”

For a player accustomed to fighting for Grand Slam titles while operating near the top of the rankings, Muguruza is taking a simpler and more philosophical approach to 2023. Last season may have been tough, but it did provide some valuable lessons.

“I feel that this year it’s more about keeping it calm and more simple,” she said. “Last year I put myself under a lot of pressure, telling myself to keep going to stay at the top all the time. That definitely didn’t help me, and it was a bit of struggle.

“This year, yes ranking is important – I’ve been at every possible ranking – but that is not my priority anymore. Now it’s about enjoying my time on court and taking the trophies back home, then we’ll see what the ranking is.”

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TENNIS

“I will value lower category tournaments more, it’s time to be humble” – Garbine Muguruza after Australian Open exit

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Garbine Muguruza

Garbine Muguruza’s first-round exit at the 2023 Australian Open came as an extension of her poor run over the last 12 months. The Spaniard has spiraled down the rankings ever since her impressive run at the 2021 WTA Finals in Guadalajara — where she lifted the trophy to propel herself back into the top-10.

The Australian Open loss against Belgian Elise Mertens comes as the latest blow for Muguruza, who is now 0-3 in terms of the win-loss column for 2023. She had earlier suffered tough losses at the hands of Bianca Andreescu and Belinda Bencic in Adelaide.

Reflecting on her recent struggles in an interview with Eurosport, Muguruza said she will rethink her 2023 calendar and plan participation in tournaments based on her ranking. The Spaniard added that she valued the lower-rung tournaments and it was time for her to be “humble.”

“I will have to make a proper calendar with my ranking,” Garbine Muguruza said. “I’ll try to play the best tournaments too but when I can’t I’ll look at other lesser ones. I will value these type of tournaments. It’s time to be humble.”

Elaborating on her recent struggles, Muguruza said she felt that tension and fatigue had a big part in costing her some of the matches.

Garbine Muguruza

The former World No. 1 went on to say that while she has played well in patches, her best tennis has evaded her in tight moments — adding that she needed to start closing out matches to regain her confidence.

“I think it has been a mixture of tension and fatigue,” Garbine Muguruza said. “Physically I have noticed a downturn. The truth is that the key moments are costing me. I start playing well and then maybe I don’t show the highest level. It is necessary to be able to close these types of moments decisively.”

Garbine Muguruza to slip out top-75 after Australian Open

Garbine Muguruza was ranked inside the top-10 in the world rankings this time last year. Her inability to defend her finals showing at the 2020 Australian Open, however, kicked off her slide.

The Spaniard has not reached another tournament final since Guadalajara and the same has taken a toll on her position on the ranking ladder. She came into this year’s Australian Open ranked barely inside the world top-75 — at No. 73.

Her first-round exit, however, will see her slip further. With only 764 points to her name, she is expected to fall to No. 81 and could drop further depending on other results.

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TENNIS

Garbiñe Muguruza and Arthur Borges announce their engagement

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Garbiñe Muguruza

Former World No 1 Garbiñe Muguruza has announced her engagement to boyfriend Arthur Borges two years into their relationship.

Muguruza chose to share the news through Spanish publication ¡Hola! earlier this week.

Later Muguruza and Borges shared a few candid snaps from their engagement photoshoot on their Instagram accounts on Friday.

The two-time major champion also revealed for the first time how she met Borges and what led to them dating.

While she was participating in the US Open in the summer of 2021, they happened to cross paths in New York. According to the report, Muguruza was walking through Central Park on her day off when Borges spotted her, stopped to wish her luck in the match, and the rest is history.

Muguruza revealed to the magazine that Borges proposed to her at the Marbella Club Hotel and that she hopes they will wed in 2024.

“We would like it to be next year, in the summer, near the beach and in Spain, because it is the place that most unites us,” Muguruza said.

Garbine Muguruza

Borges, the director of Made to Measure North America at Tom Ford, has often been spotted in her box and the couple have been afforded more time together thanks to the Spaniard taking some time off from the WTA Tour.

Since their meeting, Borges, a dual citizen of Finland and Spain, has been a constant member of Muguruza’s support group, both on and off the court. Borges was present to encourage Muguruza during a comeback title run at the Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara in 2021, which propelled her back to World No. 3 in the rankings, and they later made their relationship public.

He has supported her throughout this year as well, even though she is taking a break from the Hologic WTA Tour to spend more time with her family and friends. Muguruza stated last month that she would miss the clay and grass swings and that this would go on throughout the spring and summer.

“Spending time with family and friends and it’s really been healthy and amazing so I am going to lengthen this period till summer,” she posted to her Instagram stories.

Muguruza and Borges have not shared whether they intend to start a family.

The couple share frequent updates on Instagram giving a glimpse into the life of two young jetsetters.

Muguruza is only 29 but has achieved plenty in her career to date and might even be content to call it a day if she doesn’t yearn for the court.

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Garbine Muguruza congratulates Carlos Alcaraz for winning Indian Wells 2023 title and becoming World No. 1

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Garbine Muguruza and Carlos Alcaraz

Spain’s Garbine Muguruza congratulated compatriot Carlos Alcaraz for winning the Indian Wells title this past Sunday and thus returning to the world No. 1 ranking. Alcaraz surpassed Novak Djokovic for the top rankings spot with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 performance in the final against Daniil Medvedev, handing Medvedev his first loss in 20 matches.

Alcaraz became the world No. 1 for the second time in his career. Earlier, he earned the top spot for the first time after winning the 2022 US Open, before losing it to Novak Djokovic after the 2023 Australian Open, which he missed due to injury.

Muguruza, who has not played on tour since late January, took to social media to react to Alcaraz’s latest achievement at Indian Wells.

“Congratulations @carlitosalcarazz #N1,” Muguruza wrote on Instagram Stories.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Muguruza is yet to win a tour-level match this season, having lost four consecutive first-round matches at Adelaide, Adelaide 2, the Australian Open, and the Lyon Open, respectively. Her most recent appearance was a 1-6, 4-6 loss to Linda Noskova in the first round at Lyon.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz now has another big task at hand as he needs to win the Miami Open title to retain his No. 1 ranking. As the defending champion, anything short of a successful title defense for Alcaraz will take Djokovic back to the summit of the rankings after Miami.

Garbine Muguruza 

“Don’t take pressure, just to play relaxed; That’s for me the most important thing” – Carlos Alcaraz after winning Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz has grown from strength to strength since the start of the 2022 season. However, he feels that he is still the same tennis player he was a year ago in terms of skill, but has improved a lot on the mental side of the sport as he is no longer taking a lot of stress from matches and tournaments like he did earlier. While there are nervy moments, the 19-year-old feels the most important thing for him is to be as relaxed as he can on the court.

“Well, I think my tennis didn’t improve so much since last year,” Carlos Alcaraz said in a press conference after the Indian Wells final. “What I improve a lot is to don’t take the pressure, just to play relaxed, you know. That’s for me the most important thing.”

“That’s why I show a great level, because I — well, I feel like I have no pressure. I enjoy. I’m playing relaxed,” he added.

Alcaraz will begin his Miami Open campaign later this week in the second round against either Facundo Bagnis or a qualifier. He could then face Andy Murray in the third round. Alcaraz and fellow rising youngster Holger Rune have been placed in the same quarter of the draw, and they are in the same half of the draw as third seed Casper Ruud and sixth seed Andrey Rublev.

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Garbine Muguruza Shares a Behind the Scenes Clip Detailing Her Regime

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Garbine Muguruza

Garbine Muguruza, the Spanish tennis professional, is gearing up for the upcoming grass-based Grand Slam. The former World no.1 gave a subpar performance during the clay-court season because of an injury. However, after suffering a minor bump in her career, she now looks more energetic than ever.

The Spaniard has started preparing for the upcoming outdoor tournament. Further, Muguruza recently shared a clip of herself getting ready for a practice session on the grass.

Garbine Muguruza on Instagram

Muguruza took to Instagram to brighten her fan’s day by disclosing the things she takes care of before starting a long day of practice. The World No.10 shared a video and wrote, “Get ready with me. Tennis time. Behind the scenes.”

Further in the clip, the right-handed tennis ace is seen spraying and wrapping her feet with Pointer sisters’ Jump playing in the background. To which some fans responded by writing, “Wonderful way to prevent injuries,” and “I like your preparation!”

Garbiñe Muguruza

While the 28-year-old’s equipments swayed others as they wrote, “That ankle brace though!,” “What’s the spray?” And “What is the name of that tape ??”

Muguruza’s season so far

The 2016 French Open champion failed miserably in this year’s tournament. Though in her defense, she was struggling with a shoulder injury, which she incurred towards the end of the hard-court season. However, now that Muguruza has had an entire season embedded with early exits, her fans are hoping to see her have a long run in the upcoming tournaments in the grass-court season.

Further, she has an impressive record on grass, as she defeated the seven times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams to claim the trophy at 2017 Wimbledon championship. In addition, the Spaniard played six matches in the grass courts last year, out of which she came out victorious in four.

Though since 2017, Muguruza has only played 11 matches on grass. Thus, there are high chances if her shoulder injury resurfaces and causes problems in the upcoming major, her experience on the surface wouldn’t keep her afloat.

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MUGURUZA MET FIANCE ARTHUR BORGES IN CHANCE MEETING TWO YEARS AGO AT US OPEN: “I WAS LEFT THINKING, ‘WOW, HE’S SO HANDSOME”

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Garbine Muguruza

Garbine Muguruza is getting married next year and she met her fiance at the US Open two years ago after running into him on the street.

Muguruza is away from the sport right now after opting to take a break from the sport earlier this year but at least in her private life things are going really well. She recently announced that she’s engaged with a wedding planned for next year. The pairing met in New York and it was a chance meeting that almost never happened.

Garbiñe Muguruza

Mugurza was in New York for the US Open and used the proximity of her hotel to Central Park to get out for a walk. They ran into each other on the street with Borges wishing Muguruza a lot of luck at the US Open while asking for a selfie as week. Muguruza was impressed as she explained in an interview recently that she found him really handsome:

“My hotel was close to Central Park and I was bored, so I thought I should go for a walk. I go out and I run into him on the street. Suddenly, he turns and says, ‘Good luck at the US Open.’ I was left thinking, ‘Wow, he’s so handsome.'”

On the proposal, Muguruza added:

“It felt weird. I was thinking something else and then when he proposed I started crying. I didn’t know how to react. I said yes in the midst of tears, it was very romantic.”

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Struggling former No 1 Garbine Muguruza makes admission regarding her new reality

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Garbine Muguruza 

Struggling former world No 1 Garbine Muguruza admits it is “time to be humble” as she has indicated that she plans to play in the lower-level tournaments.Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion, is 0-3 at the start of the 2023 season.Last year, Muguruza had a very disappointing season as she went just 12-17.

Muguruza, now ranked at No 73 in the world, suffered an Australian Open first-round loss on Tuesday as Elise Mertens beat the Spaniard 3-6 7-6 (3) 6-1“I will have to make a proper calendar with my ranking. I’ll try to play in the best tournaments too but when I can’t I’ll look at the other lower-level tournaments.

I will value the lower-level tournaments, it’s time to be humble,” Muguruza told Eurosport.

Garbine Muguruza

Muguruza failed to serve out for the match against Mertens

Muguruza earned the first break of the match in the second game, but got broken back by Mertens immediately in the third game.

After blowing an early first-set break, Muguruza broke Mertens again in the eighth game for a 5-3 lead before serving out for the opener in the following game.Up by a set, Muguruza broke Mertens in the very first game of the second set to go up by a set and a break.However, Mertens refused to quit, breaking Muguruza in the second and sixth games to open a 4-2 lead.After suffering back-to-back breaks, Muguruza responded with back-to-back breaks on her own in the seventh and 11th games for a 6-5 lead.But in the 12th game – when Muguruza was serving for the match – she got broken back as Mertens managed to force a tie-break.In the tie-break, Mertens opened an early 4-1 lead before realizing her first set point to send the match into a third set.After failing to serve out for the match in the second set, Muguruza suffered three breaks in the third set as Mertens completed a big comeback win.Previously, Muguruza picked up first-round losses in Adelaide 1 and Adelaide 2.

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‘It Hurts’ – Months After Sharing Her Mental Health Journey, Paula Badosa Pens Down Her Profound Feelings for Garbine Muguruza’s Emotional Wellbeing

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Garbine Muguruza

Mental health awareness has made great strides in the past few years in the sports realm. A revolution of sorts was initiated by the struggles of Naomi Osaka, who made discussions concerning mental health a vital part of professional sports. After her struggles with mental health and subsequent long break from tennis, many players, including Nick Kyrgios and Bianca Andreescu, came forward with their stories of struggling with poor mental health. Even the Spanish player Paula Badosa made sure to take the time and help when she needed it.

Now, players are encouraged to take mental health breaks instead of being chastised. Paula Badosa, world number 42, recently talked about her fellow player Garbine Muguruza, who took a break to ensure she could be at her best mentally.

Paula Badosa wishes her compatriot well

With the Madrid Open commencing, fellow Spanish players, like others, gave interviews to the media as part of the customary pre-tournament press conference. Paula Badosa discussed her new team, her Madrid Open draw and her experience of being in Madrid.

Garbine Muguruza

Badosa also mentioned Garbine Muguruza during the press conference. Her fellow Spanish tennis player recently said that she is taking a sabbatical. The two-time Grand Slam champion said that she would skip the clay and the grass season this year. Badosa was supportive of her compatriot and said that, while she empathizes, she is not completely aware of her situation. However, Badosa eagerly awaits her return, as Muguruza has always been an example for her.

According to Punto de Break, she said, “Honestly, I don’t know 100% what Garbiñe is going through, but I can imagine it, I empathize a lot with it. Mental health is very important in this sport, people are not aware of how difficult it is, it hurts me to see that she is delaying her return, for me she has always been an example to follow, she has had an admirable career“.

She further said that Muguruza has made great strides in her country and hopes that she will come back soon.

“She is a tennis player who has made history in our country, we have a good relationship, I wrote to her to see if she was okay. Hopefully she will be back soon, Spanish tennis needs her“.

Paula Badosa’s mental health struggles

Badosa was a part of Netflix’s tennis docuseries Break Point. Her feature episode highlighted her own battle with mental health issues. She talked about her incessant internal struggle as she tried to maintain a collected mind on the court. Badosa also opened up about her mental health issues a few years ago, for which she is receiving therapy.

Many famous players have gone on a break to focus on their mental health. Naomi Osaka was one of the first players to go on a hiatus to recuperate from the pressure of competing on the WTA Tour.

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MUGURUZA INTENDS TO RETURN IN 2024, RECEIVES GOLD MEDAL FOR SPORTS MERIT RECOGNITION AND INSISTS SHE IS NOT RETIRED

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Garbine Muguruza 

Former world number one Garbine Muguruza has hinted at a potential return to professional tennis next year.

The 29-year-old has not played a professional tennis match since January 2023 where she suffered a defeat against Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova.

Muguruza later announced that she skip the French Open and Wimbledon this year to spend more time with her family.

That announcement intensified rumours about the future of the two-time Grand Slam winner. However, the Caracas-born, stated that she is preparing herself to return to the court.

“I’m enjoying this sabbatical,” she said while speaking at the Chamartín Tennis Club. “I think it’s good to stop but it’s not a definitive goodbye. I want to prepare myself to come back, when I’m ready I’ll go back to the courts.”

Garbine Muguruza 

When Muguruza was asked about her goals when she will return to the tennis court, she responded by saying: “US Open, Australian Open, Olympic medal.”

During the ceremony, Muguruza received a Gold Medal for Sports Merit and revealed happiness in doing that.

“(I am) very excited by this recognition,” she said. “It makes me feel very proud to play, to achieve so many successes. I wanted to thank the president of the CSD for coming and giving me this award and the President of the Federation Miguel Díaz. I thank my mother and my partner, who have been able to come today.”

Muguruza won two Grand Slam titles in her career. Her first big triumph came in 2016 when she defeated America’s legendary tennis player Serena Williams with a score of 7–5, 6–4 to lift the French Open.

Her second major title came a year later when she got the better of Serena’s sister and former world number one Venus Williams in the final with a score of 7–5, 6–0 to lift the Wimbledon trophy.

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‘I Started Crying..’- Spanish Tennis Beauty Garbine Muguruza Reveals Romantic Moment With Fiancé That Led Them to a Life-Long Path of Love

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Garbine Muguruza

Earlier people would believe that marriages are made in heaven and celebrated on earth. But due to the onset of the digital age, marriages often begin from selfies and are celebrated on Instagram. Garbine Muguruza posted on her Instagram about her engagement to someone she had met on the street by chance.

What finally culminated into an engagement started from a street selfie. The Spanish tennis star knew model Arthur Borges for two years before they finally decided to arrange a formal ceremony. The Spanish star burst onto the tennis scene when she defeated the Williams sisters in the finals of Roland Garros 2016 and Wimbledon 2017. The cold statistics of her on-court life at this time are not as warm as her off-court life. But the tennis star may well be planning to repeat her past performances.

Garbine Muguruza and what began from a selfie…

So how did this all begin? The Spanish star narrated how the couple met for the first time in New York when she had gone outside to bust boredom. The Spaniard narrated how the looks of the New York model, Arthur Borges, captured her imagination.

Garbiñe Muguruza

She said, “My hotel was close to Central Park, and I was bored, so I thought I should go for a walk. I go out and I run into him on the street. Suddenly, he turns and says, ‘Good luck at the US Open.’ I was left thinking, ‘Wow, he’s so handsome.”

It was August 2021 then. Their relationship continued to blossom after the first meeting. After two years, the Roland Garros winner finally announced to her Instagram followers her soulmate. She captioned the picture with these words, ” You had me at ‘Hello’. The Instagram post saw a flood of congratulatory messages. Her fans were jubilant about their star’s decision to start a new chapter of life.

It felt weird before she said ‘yes’

After their first meeting, the couple stayed in touch with each other. In Marbella, Spain, the model finally conveyed the idea to the tennis star. She described her emotional state when Arthur Borges expressed his sentiment. She revealed the romance of the moment in these words, “It felt weird. I was thinking something else and then when he proposed, I started crying. I didn’t know how to react. I said yes in the midst of tears. It was very romantic.”

Garbine Muguruza decided to withdraw from the ongoing French Open. Prioritizing life with family and friends is the reason behind her decision. She last played in Lyon Open in France. The tennis star announced that because she is planning to take a break till the summer, she will miss the grass and the clay season

Her fans got the good news of her engagement. They would certainly want her to regain her form and ranking as she strikes the courts after the summer again.

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