Muguruza: No. 1 ranking is not a poisoned chalice
dubai — It’s hard to imagine that women’s tennis will ever see another dominant player once Serena Williams decides to hang up her racquet to play hide-and-seek with her daughter Olympia.
Garbine Muguruza has been the leading light among the players that have emerged in the last few years, winning two Grand Slams in two years and getting to the top of the WTA rankings.
But nobody, not even Muguruza, has been consistent enough to hold onto that position for long and now it’s Carolina Wozniacki who sits at the top after ending her Grand Slam drought on a warm Melbourne afternoon in January.
So is the top ranking a poisoned chalice for women? “No, I don’t think it’s a poison. Okay there are all these girls that want my spot, I have to defend it. You have this, like, alarm all the time,” the 24-year-old Spaniard said on Tuesday.
“But I remember it was a great feeling to be there, even though it’s tough. But I want to fight for that. I know it’s the hardest one, but...I’m going to try to be there.
“You know, when you’re No. 1, you feel like every tournament you play, you kind of almost have to win it, you have to always maintain a super high level. You feel a lot of pressure.
“Last year I was kind of more aware of that. This year I’m trying to be a little bit less. Now with the type of game and the players, it’s going to be a lot of movement, I feel.
“I don’t want to be thinking every tournament what are the options for this and for that, no.
“And also because I already was No. 1 last year, it’s less dramatic. I always know there’s a chance. That’s fine for me.”
A good run at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will help and the current world number four comes into this tournament after having finished runner-up in Doha last week. “I’m happy with my week in Doha. I didn’t feel my game was at best, I would say. But it was important for me to play a full tournament, playing some matches, playing also against the top players,” she said.
“I felt like we have improved a lot. But I’m happy with the final,” said Muguruza who lost the threeset Doha title-decider to two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.
That was Kvitova’s second straight title after her comeback from a horrific knife injury.
“I never talked to her about it,” Muguruza said.
“But I think it’s incredible. I heard she doesn’t really feel certain parts of the hand. I’m like, I don’t even understand how you can still play that good.
“I remember in the trophy ceremony, they gave her the trophy, and the man asked her, ‘You’re winning 13 matches in a row!’
“She is like, ‘Yeah, it’s magic. I was one year ago in a different situation’.
“Maybe she sees things so different now. Maybe she’s playing good also because she realize like, hey, who cares. I play good, I’m happy. Sometimes you need this... So I’m very surprised.”
But the Spaniard said she would not be surprised if her young opponent in the first match — American teenager Cici Bellis — put up a tough fight against her on Wednesday.
“Among the young players, I’ve been seeing a lot from CiCi Bellis. She’s playing all these tournaments and she’s doing good,” she said.
“But hopefully I can do better. Last year I didn’t play really well. The first year was my best year. I remember I lost the semifinals. I have good memories. I think it’s a very nice tournament. The courts are different from Doha, but they’re good.”
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com