At the age of 27 Garbine Muguruza says she no longer has to prove herself after getting off to an almost perfect start at the Wimbledon Championships.
Muguruza, who is seeded 11th in the Championships this year, powered her way to a 6-0, 6-1, win over France’s Fiona Ferro in just 51 minutes on a rain-affected day at The All England Club. Impressively the Spaniard dropped only eight points behind her serve throughout the match and won 54 out of the 74 points played. A stark contrast to two years ago where she was knocked out in her opening match.
“We played before at the French Open and it was a tough match. I was preparing for a battle, especially on grass which is sometimes difficult to play on,” Muguruza said afterwards.
“I’m happy, I feel good on the court. From the first ball I was trying to dominate the point and I felt I was doing it. I think she didn’t have her best day but I was in control of the match.”
On the WTA Tour Muguruza is one of 18 active players to have won at least one Grand Slam title. A statistic which highlights the current depth of the women’s game. Her triumphs occurred at the 2016 French Open followed by Wimbledon the following year. She remains the only player to have ever beaten both of the Williams sisters in major finals.
Given Muguruza’s previous success at Wimbledon, it could be forgiven that she would have high expectations. Heading into the tournament she reached the quarter-finals in Berlin before losing to Alize Cornet. However, the former world No.1 insists that she no longer feels the pressure on Tour.
“I don’t feel that I have to prove anything any more. I played well here (at Wimbledon) and I’m excited to be back. Every year, it’s let’s see how far can I go at Wimbledon, how many matches can I get on a grass court?” She said.
“I stopped feeling this pressure of having to prove or show someone that I have to perform well or something. I’ve been through that and now I feel more calm.”
During her first round encounter on Monday Muguruza admits she felt emotional but for a good reason. She was inspired by the return of fans at Wimbledon after what has been a turbulent past 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic which forced the tournament to be cancelled last year.
“There were a lot (of people) in the crowd waiting for us and it was like ‘oh wow.’ At the beginning of the year I played a lot of matches and finals on an empty court,” she reflected.
“Today when I stepped out (on court) and everybody was clapping I felt, like, ‘oh my god.’ This is what I have missed. This feeling, the energy and I play for people to come and watch. That gives me motivation. It has always been like that with me. The bigger the stage the more motivated I am.”
Muguruza will play Dutch qualifier Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove in the second round who knocked out Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets.
