Garbine Muguruza aims to remain ‘calm and humble’ to regain top form ahead of Abu Dhabi Open

Garbine Muguruza says she’s trying to rediscover her best self by being “humble” and keeping things “simple”.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Muguruza, 29, will be ranked No. 3 in the world when he wins the WTA Finals at the end of the 2021 season. But she won just 12 times on the WTA Tour last year and is currently sixth. Match losing streak.

Muguruza, who withdrew from this week’s Abu Dhabi Open for personal reasons, is hoping that steady play will bring positive change.

“It’s a process of trying to get back out there. Right now I’m focused on training hard and being humble. You have to know that maybe you haven’t been as successful lately as you have been in previous years, but that’s okay because things change quickly.

“With tennis, one week can go wrong, then the next week can go well, and then everything changes again. I think the experience helps me stay calm in the not-so-good moments, when I’m not playing well or the results aren’t out yet. .”

Muguruza won the French Open in 2016 and Wimbledon a year later. But last season, her record was 12 wins and 17 losses, and she was eliminated in the first round of both French Open and Wimbledon.

“I think this year it’s more about keeping it calm and simple,” she said.

“Last year, I put a lot of pressure on myself to stay ahead all the time. That definitely didn’t help me and struggled a bit.

“This year, yes, rankings are important – I’ve been in every possible ranking – but it’s no longer my priority. The most important thing now is to enjoy my time on the pitch, bring home trophies and then Let’s see what the ranking is.”

Muguruza is currently down to No. 82 and needs a wild card to qualify for the Abu Dhabi Open.

She had similar vibes about “humble” after her first-round loss to Elise Mertens at the Australian Open last month.

“I’m going to have to make a proper calendar for my rankings,” she said.

“I also try to play the best games, but when I can’t, I look at the other smaller games. I value those types of games. It’s time to be humble.”

Abu Dhabi Open draw headlines top 10 players Daria Kasatkina, Belinda Bencic and Elena Rybakina who reached the Australian Open last month final.

What happened to Muguruza?

Muguruza finished last year with the worst win percentage (41.14%) of her career. She’s been below 50 percent just once before, in 2012, her first year on the circuit as a pro.

Perhaps the two most notable losses of the 2022 season came in the first rounds of Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Muguruza’s win over Kaia Kanepi in Paris was her fifth in nine matches she has lost since winning the first set, and a month later at Wimbledon, Muguruza committed 33 unforced errors in the The second-set win over the world number one was just seven points. 88 Regards Minnen.

Her 2023 season started with a win over Bianca Andreescu and Belinda Bencic in Adelaide before losing in three sets to No. 26 seed Mertens at the Australian Open.

She then lost to qualifier Linda Noskova in the first round of the Lyon Open.

Speaking of her form last summer, Muguruza said: “I’m trying to find the tennis I played last year.

“It made me hold back, constantly comparing myself to last year’s finish. I had to forget about playing a little bit. The pressure held me back sometimes.”

With a title defense due this month, Muguruza could fall out of the top 100 soon unless her form improves.

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