Saturday, April 20, 2024

The Elegant Assassin leaves the game

Two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza has retired from professional tennis. This wasn't a surprise; the Spanish star has been on an extended leave from the game, and has strongly hinted that she might retire soon. Muguruza won the French Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2017. She won a total of ten singles titles, including the 2021 WTA Finals, and reached a singles ranking of number 1. Muguruza also won five doubles titles, and reached a doubles high ranking of number 10. She was on the Spanish Fed Cup team from 2015 to 2019, and was on the Spanish Olympic team in 2016.

Muguruza, who was born in Venezuela and moved to Spain when she was six, could be a bit of an enigma in terms of her persona. She sometimes appeared rather sullen on court, but then we would see her bringing her spirited (and in-form) dance moves to TikTok. She was, in my opinion, also a WTA fashion icon. In the 2020 off-season, Muguruza followed in the (metaphorical) footsteps of Amelie Mauresmo, and climbed a mountain.

Muguruza sustained an injury early in her career that set that career back a bit, but she came back strong and fulfilled the promise evident in her game. The Spaniard's combination of power and fluidity was special. She could take control of a match against any player, and she could make it look so easy, as though she were one with the court on which she stood. 

In addition to winning the French Open and Wimbledon, the Spanish star was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2015 (lost to Serena Williams), and she was an Australian Open finalist in 2020 (lost to Sofia Kenin).

Since 2017, Muguruza has served as an ambassador with Room To Read, a global non-profit that focuses on literacy and girls’ education in historically low-income communities. In announcing her retirement, Muguruza said that she has joined the Laureus World Sports Academy as an ambassador.

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