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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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TENNIS

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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TENNIS

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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TENNIS

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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TENNIS

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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TENNIS

‘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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TENNIS

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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TENNIS

‘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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‘I Never Said…’ – 7 Days After Dropping Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Bombshell, Jimmy Connors Clears the Air With His Novak Djokovic Opinion

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Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

The modern era in men’s tennis has largely been shaped by 3 men – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Big 3 of tennis, as the triumvirate is famously called, has dominated the sport in unrivaled fashion – winning a whopping 65 grand slam titles between them. Unsurprisingly, the G.O.A.T debate in tennis has revolved around these three for the past 2 decades. Fandoms have been divided and tennis pundits have had varying opinions regarding their choice for the greatest. When Jimmy Connors, the American tennis legend, gave his verdict on the debate, it caused quite a stir.

Connors put Novak Djokovic ahead in the G.O.A.T race snubbing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the process, during an episode of his podcast last week. In its latest episode, he seemed to clarify his stance from last week.

Jimmy Connors clarifies his stance a week after hailing Novak Djokovic at the expense of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Eight-time grand slam champion Jimmy Connors claimed that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are ‘not even the greatest of all time in their own era’. He hailed the 23-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic as the top guy in men’s tennis, during last week’s episode of Advantage Connors – a podcast of Jimmy Connors and his son Bret Connors. As a result, he had to face a lot of flak from the fans of Federer and Nadal after the episode was aired 7 days back.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

In the podcast’s latest episode, Jimmy alluded to this fiasco and tried to clarify what he actually meant by those comments from last week. “I never said this, that Federer and Nadal aren’t the great players that they are. I just said there’s a new guy at the top of the heap, that’s all. Yeah, you know, and he’s won the most grand slams at the moment,” he said.

According to him, the bar for measuring the greatness of a player, for a long while now, has been the number of grand slams won and Novak Djokovic edges past both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in this respect.

The saga of famous personalities gushing over the legendary Serb has not just stayed limited to tennis. A few months back, legendary snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan expressed his huge admiration for Djokovic. What exactly did he have to say about the 10-time Australian Open champion?

Djokovic is one of the greatest athletes in the eyes of snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan

In an interview with Eurosport back in April this year, legendary snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan mentioned how Novak Djokovic serves as a role model for athletes from various sporting disciplines.

While hailing the achievements of all the members of the Big 3, O’Sullivan pointed out how Djokovic stands out from the others. “For me, he will be the king of all. Whether you are a footballer, golfer or hockey player – everyone looks at Djokovic. He is one of the greatest athletes of all time,” he said.

With Roger Federer retired and Rafael Nadal hinting at a possible farewell run next season, Novak Djokovic is still dominating the tennis court, statistically surpassing his 2 great rivals in most departments of the sport. The G.O.A.T debate may always remain a matter of huge contention, but there’s no denying the fact that the impact of these 3 behemoths will linger on for ages to come.

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TENNIS

Garbiñe Muguruza enjoys her sabbatical year: “I don’t have a return date”

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Garbine Muguruza

The Spanish-Venezuelan tennis player Garbiñe Muguruza stressed this Wednesday, after receiving the gold medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit (ROMD), that the remainder of 2023 will be a sabbatical year for her, denying having “a return date” to the highest competition and questioning their participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

After collecting his award, awarded by the Higher Sports Council (CSD), Muguruza was asked if he is missing the competition. “Well, the truth… at the moment, no,” she opened up to journalists. “I really liked that he also said knowing how to stop”, she thus alluded to the words of Víctor Francos, president of the CSD, in his speech to thank the tennis player.

“It’s something I had no idea about, but now I think I’ve been a bit brave to say: ‘Okay, I’m going to rest a bit.’ Because it took me a lot to make the decision. I’m happy because I can enjoy moments like this with my family. So at the moment I don’t have a return date, for now this year I’m sure not, because I want to be with my family,” Muguruza insisted.

In addition, she dedicated the award to herself. “You also have to know how to recognize yourself, right? Because it’s always thanks to this, thanks to the other… And today I want to thank myself for my effort and for really having dedicated myself to the maximum. And I don’t want to look bad, but it is also important to recognize oneself”, he argued in this regard.

Garbiñe Muguruza

“Right now I don’t miss the competition because I know what it is and I really want to rest from it. I miss winning, yes, but the competition and the day to day… I really missed being calm and I am. missing me, so it’s been a good break”, he confessed about his sabbatical.

In the same way, he denied that he is going to retire definitively. “I don’t know where that really comes from. I think it’s because of the medal, everyone has said ‘could it be…?’ No, no, this really is a sabbatical year and the medal means nothing,” she said after receiving the ROMD award.

“The Paris Games? Well, let’s see. Taking this sabbatical year is a bit fair, because it influences a lot, right? But of course, I would love to participate, in the end it’s something very special”, he commented on the possibilities of attending to the Paris 2024 event.

She also said that “the point of ambition” in her game “is because I am competitive and I follow the results, I follow my teammates and how they train and such.” “So don’t worry, it’s there. My body and my mind have noticed this change, which is good,” she added.

In this context, he set as objectives when he resumes his career “to win the US Open, to win Australia, an Olympic medal, to win the Federation Cup… a thousand”. “There are still many in tennis, there are so many trophies still to be lifted,” Muguruza mused.

On the other hand, he praised his former coach Conchita Martínez, although without specifying if they will work together again. “Well, the truth is that I haven’t thought about it, but I talk to her every week. She will be the first to know when she plays again, but at the moment we don’t even know how she will be then,” said Muguruza.

Finally, he valued the decision taken by Rafa Nadal to stop his career and think about a possible expiration date. “I think he can come back. It is clear that he also needs his rest, because he is great too. And he, when he wants to return, will give a lot of war because in the end he is the best in history,” said the tennis player from Caracas.

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