Reigning Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza has accepted a wildcard into the Sydney International, a key warm-up event for the Australian Open on Thursday.
World No. 2 Muguruza, who was forced to retire from her opening match at the Brisbane International because of severe leg cramps earlier this week. The two-time Grand Slam holder was up a set and a break in her contest against Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia but failed to wrap up the match in straight sets. The Serbian her way back from 5-2 down in the second before winning it in a tight tiebreaker to send the encounter into a deciding set.
Muguruza, managed to play just three games before calling it quits due to the cramps after spending nearly two and a half hours in extreme humid conditions which were prevalent inside Pat Rafter Arena on that particular day.
Muguruza, who held the No. 1 ranking for a brief period in 2017, is one of the favorites to win a third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. With her participation in Sydney, she would try to get some momentum going before her big assault on the season’s opening Slam in Victoria.
“This wildcard is a very valuable opportunity for me to get back on the court and hopefully play a few more matches before the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne,” said Muguruza.
“The Sydney draw is incredibly strong and there will be no easy matches.”
With the addition of Muguruza, the Sydney International will now feature a world class field of seven present and former Grand Slam champions. The Spanish star will be joined by reigning French and US Open champions Jelena Ostapenko and Sloane Stephens, seven-time Major winner Venus Williams, double-Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova, former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber and home favorite Sam Stosur.
