Former world number one Garbine Muguruza has confirmed her retirement from tennis with immediate effect.
The 30-year-old Venezuelan player announced her decision during a press conference in Madrid on Saturday.
“I feel ready to retire, to open this new chapter in my life. A new era, a new life.”
“I was nervous, and I wanted to say it. I feel good, even if retirement is a bit strong,” she said.
She retired as the second most successful Spanish singles player of all time, behind Arancha Sánchez Vicario, who won four Grand Slam singles titles.
Muguruza defeated one of the Williams sisters for both Grand Slam titles, becoming the second tennis player born in the 1990s to win a major title.
She defeated Serena at the 2016 French Open as part of a 14-set streak, having lost to her in the Wimbledon final the previous year. She then defeated Venus at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships – including a final baking set – before spending four weeks at world number one later that year.
Muguruza celebrates after beating Williams at Wimbledon in 2017 (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Muguruza has often described the Williams sisters as “role models” in her career since she was young, not only in terms of the standards she set for women's tennis, but also for developing a style of play built around power and front-foot aggression. The Spaniard will create her character throughout her career. Writing in El País newspaper in 2022, after Serena retired, she said Williams “created a 'before and after' that forced us to be better.”
Muguruza has reached at least the final in three of the four Grand Slams, 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 an upset win at the WTA Tour Finals, entering as the fifth seed and Coming out on top of a presentation of that extremely powerful game.
Muguruza's last 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 final Grand Slam appearance came after a straight-sets defeat 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 her friends and family, and has not played since. In October 2023, she said that “tennis has no place in my routine.”
“I still care about my teammates. From time to time I can play but not intensely but for fun. It doesn't occupy my thoughts, my day or my routine.”
(Han Yan/Xinhua via Getty Images)
