‘Woman power great but I feel bad to say I want kids’
Two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza relishing the chance to ‘do nothing’ after retiring at the age of 30
Garbine Muguruza is anticipating the question. She is a former world No 1, French Open and Wimbledon champion, yet has just announced her retirement aged 30. People are inevitably going to wonder: what is next?
But the question is already starting to grate. “People expect a great answer from me, I’m leaving tennis because I’m going to do this or that, I’m going to go into business, I’m going to develop a cookie – whatever it is,” she says. “No. I’m leaving tennis because I’m looking forward to being with my loved ones, making a trip without my tennis rackets, probably building a family, getting a dog. I just want to do nothing.”
Muguruza has spoken about finding nomadic life on tour taxing. Her retirement news comes after a year-long break, a decision she took following a slew of chastening results.
She travelled to the Maldives, attended film festivals and got engaged to Spanish-finnish businessman Arthur Borges. Most of all, she realised she did not miss competing. Nor did she have any particular desire to pursue anything else. But saying that out loud remains a taboo for women, she says.
“I do feel that woman power is great, but I feel bad to say sometimes that I want to be home and maybe have a family, take care of my kids,” she says, growing animated. “It’s like, bad nowadays to say something like that. It feels like always I have to say I want to be a businesswoman, I’m going to be a role model.
“My father always says to me, ‘Garbine, don’t forget to live life. You don’t have to be the queen of Spain – relax’. And it’s true, there’s all this pressure, all these questions about what you’re going to do next and it’s just like …” She puts her hands up as if to say stop, and exhales loudly.
There is some sadness in stepping away for good, but Muguruza says there is mostly happiness and relief. She achieved more than most. Born in Caracas to a Venezue
Bliss: Garbine Muguruza at SW19 in 2021; at the Laureus Awards (below)
lan mother and Spanish father, Muguruza had one of the more complete games on tour. She will be particularly remembered for her success in 2016 and 2017, when she won both her slam titles. She reached two other finals, and also won the WTA Finals unexpectedly in Guadalajara in 2021.
She is the only woman to have beaten both Serena and Venus Williams in grand slam finals, something she is particularly proud of. “Oh yes, I love that,” she says. “They were my idols. For whatever reason it means more to beat them.
Other players are amazing too, but beating them had an extra value.”
Wimbledon was particularly memorable, as she had long-time coach Conchita Martinez – the last Spanish woman to win at the All England Club – in her box that fortnight.
They remain close, and after making her big announcement at the Laureus Awards in Madrid last week, Muguruza celebrated with Martinez over dinner.
Meanwhile, across town this week, compatriot Rafael Nadal will be at the Madrid Open, on his quest to eke one last season out of his ailing 37-year-old body. That juxtaposition is not lost on Muguruza. She understands that it may seem strange for a player to step away from the sport relatively prematurely and without much fanfare. “I’m not that type of person that could play knowing it’s my final match,” she says. “I couldn’t play tennis, I’d be crying! It must be so hard when you’re a living legend like Rafa. It’s harder when you’re that big.”
‘I’m looking forward to being with my loved ones, making a trip without rackets, building a family, getting a dog’
Muguruza’s career had many highs, but she says loneliness was something she found particularly difficult. It is one of the main reasons she is retiring. The packed schedule is something she would change about tennis if she could.
“Whether you win or lose then you go to your hotel room, you close the door and there’s no one,” she says. “That’s it. The end of the day. Over the years you think, ‘Wow, I wish I could share this craziness with more people’. You don’t have time to digest. It’s a frenetic lifestyle.”
This relentlessness is something Naomi Osaka and Ashleigh Barty have described, too, with Barty retiring aged 25 when she was world No1. Does Muguruza think tennis is tricky for top female players? She shakes her head.
“I never felt that way. I felt very lucky to play tennis, it’s a popular sport and we have better sponsors, tournaments, more prize money. I’ve trained around many other athletes from different sports and I saw how hard it was for them. They didn’t have the same opportunities. I was like man, I don’t care if I’m criticised. I’m so lucky.”
That sense of gratitude is palpable as she embarks upon her next steps. First up, getting a pug. “I love them, I’m obsessed,” she says, smiling.
The Laureus World Sports Awards took place last Monday in Madrid, celebrating the leading names in sport from across the globe. To find out more, visit www.laureus.com