Garbine Muguruza Announces Retirement from Professional Tennis

Posted on April 21, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Garbine Muguruza is putting away her rackets…

The 30-year-old Spanish-Venezuelan tennis player, a two-time major champion and former World No. 1, has announced that she’s retiring from professional tennis at after an extended time away from the court.

“I feel that it is time to retire and open up a new chapter in my life,” Muguruza said at a news conference in Madrid on Saturday.

Muguruza beat Serena Williams in the 2016 French Open final and Venus Williams in the 2017 Wimbledon final, making her the only player to defeat each Williams sister in a Grand Slam title match.

The Spanish player earned 10 career titles and was also the runner-up at 2015 Wimbledon and the 2020 Australian Open.

She earned nearly $25 million in prize money — 13th on the all-time list — and finished with a win-loss record of 449-238.

Her last important victory was the 2021 WTA Finals.

Muguruza has not played since January 2023.

In April that year, she announced she was extending her hiatus from playing and said, “Spending time with my family and friends [has] really been healthy and amazing.”

Born in Caracas to a Spanish father and Venezuelan mother, Muguruza moved to Barcelona when she was a child to continue her tennis training.

She became the first Spanish woman to lift a Grand Slam trophy since Arantxa Sánchez Vicario at the 1998 French Open.

Garbine Muguruza Becomes First Spaniard to Win WTA Finals Title

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Garbine Muguruza is ending the year with a bang…

The 28-year-old Spanish Venezuelan tennis player defeated Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 7-5 to win the WTA Finals title for the first time in her career and improve her record playing in Mexico to 14 wins and two losses.

Muguruza, who won back-to-back titles in Monterrey in northern Mexico in 2018 and 2019, became the first Spaniard to win the women’s season-ending tournament.

Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario was a runner-up two times, the last time in 1993.

Muguruza’s past successes in Mexico motivated her to play in the WTA Finals. In the ceremony after winning the title, she recalled telling WTA CEO Steve Simon at the US Open that she wanted to play again south of the Rio Grande.

“To qualify, the whole year with my team, I was saying to them, ‘It’s in Mexico, we have to make it, c’mon.’ It was my biggest motivation,” Muguruza said.

The former No. 1-ranked Muguruza, who was a semifinalist in the WTA Finals in 2015, also became the oldest champion since Serena Williams won it in 2014 and will finish the season at No. 3 in the rankings, her best performance since 2017.

Muguruza was backed the whole week by a raucous crowd who gathered at Estadio Akron to cheer and clap for her as if she were one of their own.

“It’s funny, the other day I was speaking with my manager. … He was like, ‘You know what, for the first time, Garbine, you’re really using the crowd, really getting that energy and using it on the court. You should do that more often,'” said Muguruza, who entered the Estadio Akron wearing a Mexico soccer team jersey for her last two matches.

“I think a big lesson to me is I should get the energy from the environment. I’m very supported here in Mexico. I don’t know if it will be everywhere, but I used it this week for sure.”

Despite the loss, Kontaveit, who moved from No. 30 in the rankings into the top 10 in the past few months, is projected to finish at No. 7 in the rankings.

Muguruza took control early in the match with three breaks against an erratic Kontaveit, who played better in the second and got a break in the ninth, but the Spaniard broke the Estonian’s next two serves to win it.

The WTA Finals were played in Guadalajara for this year only, with the event scheduled to return in 2022 to Shenzhen, China.

Garbine Muguruza Defeats Paula Badosa to Reach First-Ever WTA Finals Title Match

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a special first for Garbine Muguruza…

The 28-year-old Spanish professional tennis player dominated compatriot Paula Badosa in a 6-3, 6-3 victory on Tuesday and will now play for the WTA Finals title for the first time in her career.

The sixth-seeded Muguruza, who lost in the semifinals in 2015, is the first Spaniard to reach the singles final since 1993, when Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario was runner-up to Steffi Graff.

“I’m very happy with my performance, it was the best match I played here in Guadalajara,” Muguruza said. “It’s the first time we encountered each other. I’m very proud of Paula, she started the year back in the rankings and made all the way to the top 10.”

Muguruza now has a 13-2 record on Mexican soil, where she won back-to-back titles in Monterrey in 2018 and ’19.

Muguruza awaits the winner of eighth-seeded Anett Kontaveit and fourth-seeded Maria Sakkari, who play the other semifinal match later at the Centro Panamericano de Tenis in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara.

Muguruza started the season-ending tournament with a loss to third-seeded Karolina Pliskova but bounced back with victories over second-seeded Barbora Krejcikova, Kontaveit and Badosa.

“I don’t feel like a favorite, maybe on paper or for the TV, but I don’t feel like it,” she said. “I started here losing and I thought that I could be eliminated, so for me to say that I feel like a favorite for the final is complicated.”

Muguruza reached 41 victories this season, her most in a single campaign since 2017 when she finished with 45.

Muguruza broke the seventh-seeded Badosa in the third game and then held to win the first set in 35 minutes.

In the second set, Muguruza had a break in the second game, saved a couple of break points in the third and never looked back.

Badosa, who turned 24 on Monday, was the youngest player in the semifinals. The Spaniard finished a breakthrough season that saw her crack the top 10 for the first time in her career.

“It was a tough day, I did not feel myself and she played good, all the credits go to her,” said Badosa, who earlier in the tournament said that Muguruza was her inspiration. “I don’t really know what happened today. I’m sad that I could not compete.”

The WTA Finals are being played in Guadalajara for this year only, with the event scheduled to return in 2022 to Shenzhen, China.

Muguruza Beats Serena Williams to Claim the French Open Title

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Garbiñe Muguruza has officially arrived…

The 22-year-old Spanish/Venezuelan tennis player defeated World No. 1 Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4 at the French Open on Saturday to claim her first-ever Grand Slam title.

Muguruza’s win prevented Williams from tying Steffi Graf‘s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles for the third straight Grand Slam event.

In winning her first major, Muguruza used her powerful groundstrokes to keep Williams off-balance and overcame signs of nerves in the form of nine double-faults to pull off the upset win.

Muguruza also managed to deal with Williams’ dangerous serve, breaking three consecutive times from late in the first set to early in the second en route to beating Williams for the second time in three years at Roland Garros. In 2014, she handed Williams the worst loss of her Grand Slam career with a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the second round.

After letting four match points slip away in the penultimate game, Muguruza served out the match at love, punctuated by a high lob that caught the baseline as Williams watched.

The winning shot drew a smile from Williams’ face and she applauded Muguruza, who put her face in her hands and fell on her back in the red clay of Court Philippe Chatrier as her coach Sam Sumyk jumped from his chair and raised both arms in the air.

“She has a bright future, obviously,” said Williams, who at 34 is 12 years older than her Spanish opponent. “She knows how to play on the big stage and … clearly, she knows how to win Grand Slams.”

Muguruza, who lost to Williams in the 2015 final at Wimbledon, became the first Spanish woman to win a Grand Slam title since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario won the last of her three French Open crowns in 1998.

“I can’t explain with words what this day means to me,” Muguruza said after the match. “You work all your life to get here.”

Muguruza became just the fifth different woman to defeat Williams in a Grand Slam final, joining Angelique Kerber, Samantha Stosur, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams — who beat her sister twice.

This year’s visit to Paris hardly could have started off more inauspiciously for Muguruza: She lost the very first set she played in the tournament, against 38th-ranked Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

But Muguruza turned things around from there. She won the next 14 sets she played, displaying the deep groundstrokes and take-the-ball-early aggressiveness that flustered Williams.

“I have grown up playing on clay,” Muguruza said during the trophy ceremony, “so for Spain, and for me, this is amazing.”

Muguruza Defeats Samantha Stosur to Reach Her First-Ever French Open Final

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Garbiñe Muguruza is one step away from claiming her first Grand Slam title…

The 22-year-old Spanish/Venezuelan tennis player annihilated Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4 to reach the final at the French Open, her second Grand Slam final in less than a year.

Muguruza was in outstanding form right from the get-go, racing to a 4-0 lead in the opening set before serving it out inside half an hour.

She broke again at the start of the second set, and despite Stosur breaking back she kept on taking the Australian’s serve apart to wrap up the win.

“I played very well until I led 5-2 in the second set and then she stepped up a gear and I became a bit nervous,” said Muguruza, who is looking to become the first Spanish woman to to lift the trophy at Roland Garros since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1998. “Emotions sometimes can be bad.”

Muguruza was seeded fourth going into the tournament, that seeding based largely on the rankings points she won by making it to her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last year.

She next faces Serena Williams, the woman she faced in the women’s final at Wimbledon. And, while it may seem like a daunting task getting past the World No. 1, Muguruza did defeat Williams at the French Open in 2014.

Muguruza Makes Winning Debut in Her First WTA Finals Appearance

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a winning debut for Garbine Muguruza.

The 22-year-old Spanish-Venezuelan tennis player won her first match at the WTA Finals.

Muguruza, the second-seed who was making her debut at the season-ending tournament, beat Lucie Safarova 6-3, 7-6 (4) on Monday.

Muguruza is the first Spaniard to play in the WTA Finals since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 2001.

“To go here, and play and win for the first time, it’s great,” Muguruza said. “So I feel now more calm, more in the tournament.”

Muguruza reached her first Grand Slam final this year at Wimbledon, losing to Serena Williams in straight sets.

She was the first Spanish woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Conchita Martinez lost the French Open final in 2000 and the first to do so at Wimbledon since Sanchez-Vicario in 1995 and 1996.

Next up for Muguruza will be Angelique Kerber in Wednesday’s evening session.

Muguruza Becomes First Spanish Woman in 18 Years to Reach Wimbledon Semifinals

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Garbiñe Muguruza continues her winning ways…

The 21-year-old Spanish-Venezuelan tennis player defeated Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-3 in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

In the process, Muguruza became the first Spanish woman in 18 years to reach the semifinals at the All-England Club (the last was Arantxa Sánchez Vicario).

Muguruza, a rising star on the WTA tour, had to overcome a strong challenge from her Swiss opponent. The pair had previously battled in the third round of the Australian Open, and this match was equally hard fought from the get go, the opening game a display of clean, powerful hitting.

Bacsinszky’s unorthodox shots kept her well-defended against Muguruza’s attacking groundstrokes. With her unusual, over-rotated grip, which sometimes leaves the right-hander holding her racket in her left, Bacsinszky sliced and chopped and more than once caught Muguruza at the back of the court while dropping the ball in just behind the net. Recognizing her opponent’s ability on the court, Muguruza threw everything at her first serve, and it was she who won the crucial break in the final game of the first set.

Consecutive breaks at the start of the second set left the players back on level terms, but as the match wore on it became increasingly apparent that Bacsinszky’s bag of tricks was running low. At 4-3 and 15-all Muguruza dispatched one of Bacsinszky’s wacky slices with a commanding down-the-line forehand, then took the first of two break points and served out the match in an hour and 27 minutes.

It was Muguruza’s first Wimbledon quarterfinal, and after her win Muguruza said she was surprised that her first Grand Slam semifinal will be played on this surface, especially after she had claimed after her first grass tournament in Birmingham that she was “never coming back”.

Muguruza celebrated her victory by bunny-hopping about the court. “It was a very intense game, the last one,” she said, “so it was happiness and relief.” She was three when Sánchez-Vicario reached the second of her Wimbledon finals and while she is not considering her place in history just yet, you cannot doubt her growing assurance. “All this experience helps a lot when you believe that you can do it. So I’m going to be more confident.”

Muguruza, the tournament’s No. 20 seed, will next face No. 13 seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

Muguruza Returns to the French Open Quarterfinals for Second Straight Year

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a déjà vu moment for Garbine Muguruza…

The 21-year-old Venezuelan-Spanish professional tennis player proved that last year’s impressive performance at the French Open was no fluke, repeating her run to the quarterfinals on Monday.

Muguruza advanced with a 6-3 6-4 win over 28th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy and her claycourt skills suggested she has what it takes to become the first Spanish woman to triumph at Roland Garros since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1998.

“The other day we were talking in the locker room because she was there. She was giving me some advice. You have to listen to a champion like Arantxa,” Muguruza told a news conference.

“She was explaining to me when she was my age… you have to control your life outside the tennis, also, it’s very important.

“She was telling me about that. Because at the end, in the court is where you know what to do, but the problem is outside. Just like typical advice from like a mother.”

Muguruza broke decisively in the seventh game of the first set and rallied from 3-0 down in the second, the 21st seed’s powerful ground strokes eventually becoming too hot to handle for Pennetta.

Despite a low first-serve percentage, she wrapped up the contest on her first match point when Pennetta coughed up an unforced error with a backhand.

The Spaniard will next face 13th-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova, who upset defending champion and second seed Maria Sharapova.

Suarez Navarro Defeats Andrea Petkovic to Reach Miami Open Final

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Carla Suarez Navarro is heading into the top 10 in the WTA world rankings…

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated Germany’s Andrea Petkovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, on Thursday to reach the final of the Miami Open.

With the win, Suarez Navarro, who is now poised to break into the top 10 in the world rankings, has become the first Spanish woman in more than two decades to reach the final at the Crandon Park Tennis Center.

The last Spaniard to play for the trophy at the Miami Open was two-time champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1993. The Spaniard beat Steffi Graf in that final.

Suarez Navarro, who defeated Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, now faces another Williams: seven-time Miami Open winner Serena Williams.

Williams is bidding to win a third straight Miami title and has won her last 17 matches at the venue.

Suarez Navarro, who honed her game in the Canary Islands, came out on top in a loose match, combining with Petkovic for nearly 60 unforced errors in less than 90 minutes on court.

Suarez Navarro converted three of her 10 break point opportunities and was never in serious trouble.

“I played a good match, an important match like this is difficult,” said the winner. “I just tried to play my game and enjoy it.

“Playing this final is an important event for me. I train in the off season in hopes of playing a final like this,” added the Spaniard, whose only WTA title came in Portugal last year.

“I am playing good, I’m playing good matches here.”

Sánchez Vicario to Present Winner’s Trophy at French Open

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario will face either Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova at the French Open…

No, the 41-year-old retired Spanish tennis star, a former World No. 1, won’t be playing against either player.

The four-time Grand Slam champion will present the winner of the women’s final her trophy at the French Open this weekend.

The French Tennis Federation says Sanchez Vicario, who won the French Open three times, will be alongside the organization’s president Jean Gachassin at Roland Garros for the final on Saturday, handing the trophy to either Williams or Sharapova.

As a 17-year-old, Sánchez Vicario became the youngest winner of the women’s singles title at the 1989 French Open, defeating then-World No. 1 Steffi Graf in the final. Her record would be broken the following year by Monica Seles, who would win the title at the age of 16.

In addition to her eight Grand Slam singles titles, Sánchez Vicario also has six women’s doubles titles and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

Sánchez Vicario, who retired in November 2002, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007. She was the first Spanish woman to be inducted.

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