Former WTA’s world number one, Garbine Muguruza, announced her retirement recently and explained why she opted for that.
The former Spanish tennis player has been away from tennis since January of last year. She experienced a down year in 2022, going only 12-17, and started 2023 on a really bad note, losing all four matches she played.
After that, Muguruza opted to take a break from tennis because it wasn’t giving her what she wanted out of it, but she promised to come back. Since then, a lot has happened in her private life as she became engaged and focused on enjoying life.
The occasional update would still have her promise a return to the sport, but months passed, and nothing happened. Towards the end of last year, Muguruza started to dismiss the idea of returning to tennis, explaining that she was too busy for it at that moment.
Being away from the sport was very peaceful and calm, and she did not intend to return to that.
She further reiterated her uncertainty about a comeback about a month ago, but then footage emerged of her on a tennis court, so many assumed she was coming back. She won’t because she announced her retirement at age 30 on Saturday.
“I have been taking it little by little. These months have been key: when I stopped competing and returned home, I rested, I wanted to see how I felt. I received that rest with open arms, and with each passing day I felt better.”
“I missed the discipline and difficulty of the life I had before. It has been progressive: little by little I have realized that what I want most is to look at my next chapter and not so much at tennis.”
It was a great career for Muguruza, one that many tennis players can only dream of, and now she can finally focus on the next chapter of her life.
