With powerful groundstrokes and an aggressive style of play, Muguruza came to prominence at the2012 Miami Open by reaching the fourth round defeating two top ten players. In 2015, Muguruza reached her first major final at Wimbledon, where she lost toSerena Williams. She then won her firstPremier-level crown at the2015 China Open, and qualified for her firstWTA Finals in singles, losing toAgnieszka Radwańska in the semifinals. Muguruza then enjoyed the greatest achievements of her career in the following six years, winning the 2016 French Open and the 2017 Wimbledon Championships (defeating Serena andVenus Williams in the finals, respectively), reaching the world No. 1 singles ranking, reaching the 2020 Australian Open final, and winning the 2021 WTA Finals. Muguruza is the only person to beat both Williams sisters in a grand slam final. After playing her last professional singles match inJanuary 2023, Muguruza formally retired from the sport in April 2024 at the age of 30.
Garbiñe Muguruza was born inCaracas,Venezuela, on 8 October 1993 to her Venezuelan mother, Scarlet Blanco, and herBasque father José Antonio Muguruza, who hails fromAzkoitia inGipuzkoa,Basque Country.[3][4] She has two elder brothers named Asier and Igor, also ex-professional tennis players, and has dual Spanish-Venezuelan citizenship.[5] Muguruza began playing tennis at the age of three at the tennis courts of Mampote, in Guarenas outside Caracas, and already showed great talent and skill.
After moving to Spain with her family when she was six years old, looking for better prospects in her tennis development,[6] Muguruza began training at the Bruguera Tennis Academy inBarcelona with her brothers, all dreaming of becoming professional tennis players.
After turning professional on 2 March 2012, Muguruza was given a wild card for her first WTA Tour main-draw appearance at theMiami Open.[7] There, she upset former world No. 2,Vera Zvonareva, and former world No. 10,Flavia Pennetta, before falling in the round of 16 to the eventual champion,Agnieszka Radwańska, in straight sets.[8]
At theUS Open, she qualified into the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time after a number of players withdrew; she lost in three sets to tenth seedSara Errani in the first round.
At theAustralian Open, Muguruza made it into the main draw, after several players withdrew that did not pass into the qualifying match, she lost toSerena Williams in straight sets in the second round.
AtIndian Wells, she qualified for the main draw and then made her way to the last 16, where she fell to eventual semifinalistAngelique Kerber. She was then awarded a main-draw wild card into theMiami Open once more where she matched last year's result, recording wins overKateřina Siniaková, 23rd seedAnastasia Pavlyuchenkova and ninth seedCaroline Wozniacki en route to the round of 16 where she lost to fifth seedLi Na.
AfterWimbledon, Muguruza underwent a right ankle surgery and missed the rest of the season. She continued to train by hitting groundstrokes sitting down. She ended that year as the world No. 63 in singles and No. 153 in doubles.
2014: First WTA title, steady results & rise in doubles
At theAustralian Open, Muguruza recovered from a set down to defeat tenth seed Caroline Wozniacki in three sets[10] to reach the fourth round for the first time where she lost in straight sets to the fifth seed, Agnieszka Radwańska.[11] She andArantxa Parra Santonja also reached the second round of thedoubles event; they lost in straight sets to the eighth seeds,Raquel Kops-Jones andAbigail Spears.
After a three-set defeat toKimiko Date-Krumm in the first round of theThailand Open, Muguruza reached her second singles final of the year at theBrasil Tennis Cup, where she lost in three sets to Klára Zakopalová despite having led by a set and 5–2.[12] Muguruza then lost in the second round atIndian Wells andMiami, after receiving opening-round byes, but did reach the quarterfinals of the latter event in doubles where she and her partner, Carla Suárez Navarro lost in three sets to the 8th seeds, Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears.
After a second-round defeat to former French Open championFrancesca Schiavone at theItalian Open, Muguruza advanced to her first major quarterfinal at theFrench Open, having handed the world No. 1 and defending champion, Serena Williams, her worst defeat in a major tournament, losing only four games in the second round,[14] before losing to the eventual champion,Maria Sharapova, in three sets.[15] Muguruza also reached the semifinals of thedoubles event with Suárez Navarro, where the pair lost in three sets to the top seeds and eventual champions,Peng Shuai andHsieh Su-wei. As a result of her strong performances at the event, Muguruza achieved career-high singles and doubles rankings of world No. 27 and No. 36 respectively.
Muguruza's final event of the year was the season endingTournament of Champions in Sofia, Bulgaria. Despite going undefeated in theround-robin stage with wins over top seed, Ekaterina Makarova,[43] third seed Flavia Pennetta[44] and 6th seed Alizé Cornet[45] Muguruza fell to the eventual champion, Andrea Petkovic, in the semifinals in straight sets.[46] She finished the year ranked at career-high rankings of world No. 21 in singles and No. 16 in doubles.
2015: First Grand Slam final & top 10 in doubles, WTA finals debut
Muguruza reached her second major quarterfinal at the 2015 French Open
Muguruza's first event of the year was to be theBrisbane International but she was forced to withdraw from the event due to an ankle injury.[47] The following week, Muguruza chose not to defend her title at theHobart International and competed at theSydney International instead, where she reached the quarterfinals, defeating Agnieszka Radwańska for the first time in her career en route.[48] At theAustralian Open, she progressed to the fourth round for the second consecutive year with wins over Marina Erakovic, Daniela Hantuchová andTimea Bacsinszky before falling to the eventual champion, Serena Williams, in three sets.
Muguruza won both of her singles rubbers in the2015 Fed Cup World Group II, defeatingIrina-Camelia Begu and world No. 3, Simona Halep, but Spain lost the tie 2–3 after Muguruza and her compatriot,Anabel Medina Garrigues, lost the deciding doubles rubber. At theDubai Championships, Muguruza reached her first Premier-5 semifinal in singles, defeating qualifierJarmila Gajdošová, 12th seed Jelena Janković, fifth seed Agnieszka Radwańska and 13th seed and doubles partner Suárez Navarro before falling to the 17th seed and eventual runner-up,Karolína Plíšková, in three sets. She also reached the final of thedoubles with Suárez Navarro. The following week, Muguruza retired from her first-round match against Suárez Navarro at theQatar Open while trailing 6–5 in the first set.
In March, she lost to Karolina Plíšková in the third round of theIndian Wells Open after a second-round win over American wild cardIrina Falconi. Despite this, she rose to a career-high singles ranking of 19 after the event. A fortnight later, Muguruza reached the third round of theMiami Open, after defeating qualifierSesil Karatantcheva but lost to the 11th seed Sara Errani, after winning the first set.
Muguruza reached the second round of the three clay-court events that she competed in leading into theFrench Open. She lost to second seed Simona Halep inStuttgart,Kristina Mladenovic inMarrakech and the eventual finalistSvetlana Kuznetsova inMadrid. Muguruza and Suárez Navarro also reached thedoubles final of the latter for the second consecutive year but the pair lost in three sets to Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova. Despite failing to win back-to-back matches since February, Muguruza reached her second consecutive French Open quarterfinal, defeating Angelique Kerber[49] and Flavia Pennetta[50] en route, before losing to the eventual runner-up,Lucie Šafářová.[51]
"For me if Muguruza doesn't win it this year, she's going to win this or another major at some point. She's not waiting, she's going and getting it, and that's the only way you can lift a major trophy."
Muguruza made a poor start into the grass-court season, losing in the first round of theBirmingham Classic and the third round of theEastbourne International after a first-round bye. However, she and Suárez Navarro won their first grass-courtdoubles title in Birmingham, defeating Andrea Hlaváčková andLucie Hradecká in straight sets in the final. At theWimbledon Championships, Muguruza defeated tenth seed Kerber in the third round,[54] 5th seed Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round,[55] 15th seed Timea Bacsinszky in the quarterfinals and 13th seed Agnieszka Radwańska in the semifinals to advance to her maiden major final. She played against world No. 1, Serena Williams, for the title, but lost in straight sets.[56] After the tournament, Muguruza entered the top 10 for the first time, moving up to world No. 9 in the rankings.
During theUS Open Series, Muguruza did not enjoy much success, dropping her opening matches inToronto andCincinnati to qualifiersLesia Tsurenko and Yaroslava Shvedova respectively. At theUS Open, she recorded her first win at the tournament by defeating GermanCarina Witthöft in the first round. However, she fell short toJohanna Konta in the following round in three sets, the match was a total time of 3 hours and 23 minutes, the longest women's singles match in that tournament's history since the introduction of tiebreaker in 1970.
Muguruza kicked off the Asian swing at thePan Pacific Open where she advanced to the last eight after defeatingBarbora Strýcová before losing to eventual finalistBelinda Bencic, in straight sets. At theWuhan Open, Muguruza cruised into her second straight quarterfinal at the event after dispatchingSloane Stephens and Ana Ivanovic. She then went on to defeat the likes ofAnna Karolína Schmiedlová and Kerber to reach the final where she faced Venus Williams but was forced to retire in the second set with an ankle injury. Muguruza was able to crack the top 5 for the first time in her career after the tournament's conclusion.[57] At theChina Open, Muguruza breezed byIrina Falconi before going the distance against Mirjana Lučić-Baroni to advance to the quarterfinals. With the win, Muguruza qualified for theWTA Finals for the first time, becoming the first Spaniard to compete at the year-end championships sinceArantxa Sánchez Vicario in 2001. She then beatBethanie Mattek-Sands and Radwańska to advance to her maiden Premier Mandatory final. With her semifinal win over Radwańska, Muguruza reached a career high of world No. 4. She went on to defeat Bacsinszky in straight sets to claim her first Premier Mandatory title and her biggest title of her career.
Muguruza then traveled to Singapore for the2015 WTA Finals, where she went undefeated in the round-robin play, beating Petra Kvitová, Angelique Kerber, and Lucie Šafářová. She then lost to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwańska in the semifinals. Muguruza also competed in doubles in Singapore, where she and Suárez Navarro reached the final. However, they lost to the No. 1 seeds, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza.
Muguruza holds her trophy after winning the 2016 French Open
Muguruza started her year at the Brisbane International, when she already had to retire in her first match of the tournament due toplantar fasciitis.[58] Her next tournament was theAustralian Open, where she ensured a spot in the third round with straight set wins overAnett Kontaveit and Kirsten Flipkens, but fell to Barbora Strýcová. At theFed Cup, Muguruza helped in Spain's tie against Serbia with wins overIvana Jorović andJelena Janković.[59]
At the Dubai Championships, Muguruza suffered another early loss as she fell to eventual semi-finalistElina Svitolina. Her next tournament was theQatar Ladies Open, where she reached first quarterfinal of the year, defeatingNao Hibino and Tímea Babos, but lost then to Andrea Petkovic in three sets. Next she played inIndian Wells Open, where she lost in her opening match againstChristina McHale after receiving first round bye. At theMiami Open, she was close to being defeated in the opening match against Dominika Cibulková but survived in the final set. She reached the fourth round but lost to the Indian Wells and eventual champion Victoria Azarenka in two tiebreakers.
She kicked off the clay court season by participating theFed Cup against Italy. She scored wins against Francesca Schiavone and No. 7, Roberta Vinci, to help Spain enter the World Group next year. She then played inStuttgart Open. She reached her second quarterfinals of the season where she lost to Petra Kvitová. At theMadrid Open, she lost in the second round againstIrina-Camelia Begu, despite serving for the match. She then went on to reach her first WTA semifinals of the season inRome, after defeating top ten opponent Timea Bacsinszky in quarterfinals, but lost toMadison Keys in straight sets.
At theFrench Open, Muguruza turned her season around, unexpectedly capturing her first major title. She lost the first set against Anna Karolina Schmiedlová in her first-round match but won in three sets. After that, she easily reached her second major final without losing a set in the next five matches, including wins over former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round, surprise quarterfinalistShelby Rogers, and former runner-up Sam Stosur in the semifinals.[60] In the final, she faced world No. 1, Serena Williams, in a rematch of the previous year'sWimbledon final, and won in straight sets for her maiden major title.[61][62] She marked 14 straight sets won, after losing the first she played. With the title she rose to a career high No. 2 in the WTA rankings of 6 June 2016. She is also the first Spanish female player to win a major title since Sánchez Vicario in 1998.[61] By winning, Muguruza became the second player of either gender born in the 1990s to win a Major title after Petra Kvitová first did so at the2011 Wimbledon Championships.
Starting off the grass-court season, she played theMallorca Open, where she as the top seed suffered a first-round exit to former Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens, in straight sets, marking the third tournament of the year where she lost in her first match played and her second consecutive loss to Flipkens on grass. Muguruza returned to grass forWimbledon as the second favorite with the chance to usurp the top ranking from Williams while being heralded as the leader of the next generation, following Williams' recent slump in tournament finals. Though Muguruza won her opening match against Camila Giorgi in a high quality display, she was quickly upset byJana Čepelová in the second round. Unable to defend her finalist points from the previous year, Muguruza regressed to world No. 3 at the end of the tournament. At the Rio Olympic Games, Muguruza arrived as one of the favorite players to win in the women's singles tennis event. She defeatedAndreea Mitu of Romania andNao Hibino of Japan to progress to the third round. However, she was defeated comprehensively by the eventual gold medalistMonica Puig of Puerto Rico. She was also in the mixed doubles tournament alongsideRafael Nadal, but withdrew at the decision of Nadal, who was already playing both the men's singles and doubles.
Muguruza did not have much success during theUS Open Series, either. At theUS Open, she suffered another second-round loss, this time toAnastasija Sevastova. She did not fare well during the Asian Swing, with early round losses at thePan Pacific Open in Tokyo, theWuhan Open, and theChina Open in Beijing. The loss in Beijing was significant, because Muguruza was the defending champion, and she therefore dropped in ranking after the tournament. However, she still qualified for theWTA Finals. Muguruza was defeated in the round robin stage, her only win coming from a three-set match against Svetlana Kuznetsova. She ended the season ranked No. 7.
Muguruza started the season at theBrisbane International, being the No. 4 seed. She made a run to the semifinals after three-set wins over Sam Stosur andDaria Kasatkina, and a straight sets win over Svetlana Kuznetsova. She then retired in the first set of her semifinal match against Alizé Cornet due to injury. At theAustralian Open, Muguruza beat Marina Erakovic,Samantha Crawford, Anastasija Sevastova andSorana Cîrstea en route to her first quarterfinal at the tournament. She then lost to CoCo Vandeweghe in straight sets.
Muguruza then played the Fed Cup quarterfinals, where she beat Barbora Strýcová in three sets before losing to Karolína Plíšková. Spain ended up losing the tie 2–3. During the Gulf Swing, she beatÇağla Büyükakçay inDoha, before succumbing to Zhang Shuai in three sets. She then retired in her first match atDubai againstKateryna Bondarenko, due to injury. AtIndian Wells, Muguruza advanced to the quarterfinals, beating Kirsten Flipkens, 17-year-oldKayla Day, and Elina Svitolina en route. She then lost to world No. 3, Karolína Plíšková, in two tiebreaks. AtMiami, she reached the fourth round and retired against Caroline Wozniacki after losing the first set due to illness.
Muguruza suffered early losses at the start of the clay-court season, losing in her opening matches inStuttgart andMadrid to Anett Kontaveit and Timea Bacsinszky, respectively. She bounced back inRome by reaching the semifinals, before she had to retire against Elina Svitolina in the first set due to a neck injury. Muguruza entered theFrench Open as the defending champion, where she reached the fourth round, losing to home favourite Kristina Mladenovic, in three sets. In that game against Mladenovic, Muguruza had to face an extremely unfavorable crowd as well, almost bordering on unsportmanship-like behavior, since most of her unforced errors were celebrated not only by Mladenovic but by the crowd too. As she left the court and was receiving an ovation from the crowd, she was seen shaking her head and demanding the crowd not to applaud, since they wanted her to lose. In the following press conference, when asked about the pressure she suffered from the crowd, she started to cry and had to quit the press conference for about five minutes before she came to resume her thoughts on the match. This prompted a huge reaction in the Spanish sporting press, with some making the comment that "The Suzanne Lenglen Court looked more like the Stade de France, and it was as if there was a football game going on and not a tennis match".[63] Since she failed to defend her title, Muguruza fell from the top 10.
Muguruza at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, where she won theWomen's singles title
As the 14th seed, Muguruza reached theWimbledon fourth round, beatingEkaterina Alexandrova,Yanina Wickmayer and Sorana Cîrstea. She then faced the previous year's runner-up and world No. 1, Angelique Kerber, eventually beating her in three sets. She then defeated seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and then 87th-ranked Magdaléna Rybáriková, both in straight sets, to advance to her second Wimbledon final. There, she defeated tenth seed Venus Williams in straight sets, clinching her second major title, and became the first ever, and only, player to defeat both Williams sisters in major singles finals.[64]
Muguruza started her hardcourt summer in Stanford, beating Kayla Day andAna Konjuh before losing in the semifinals to Madison Keys. She next travelled to Toronto for theRogers Cup, and recorded wins over Kirsten Flipkens and Ashleigh Barty. Muguruza lost in the quarterfinals to Elina Svitolina. Muguruza's next tournament was the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. She won two tough three set matches against Madison Keys and Svetlana Kuznetsova to make it to the semifinals. There she faced Karolína Plíšková, the world No. 1, to whom she had lost six times in a row. This time Muguruza turned the tables and won in two sets. In the final she played Simona Halep, dropping only one game in 57 minutes to capture the fifth title of her career. This also marked the first time in which she won multiple titles in one season.
Muguruza entered theUS Open as a contender for the No. 1 WTA rankings. She beat Rybáriková in a rematch of the Wimbledon semifinal to reach the fourth round of the US Open for the first time, where she lost to Petra Kvitová in straight sets. Despite the loss, Muguruza rose to the No. 1 ranking after reigning No. 1 Karolína Plíšková's loss to CoCo Vandeweghe in the quarterfinals, and became the 24th woman to achieve the ranking.[65] Muguruza andRafael Nadal made Spain the first country since the United States 14 years ago to simultaneously top both theATP and theWTA rankings.[66]
In Tokyo, she lost to Wozniacki in the semifinals, winning only two games. She then lost in the quarterfinals of theWuhan Open toJeļena Ostapenko and retired in the first round of theChina Open to Barbora Strýcová, after losing eight of the first nine games. With Simona Halep advancing to the final of the event, Muguruza ultimately lost the No. 1 ranking. Shortly after, she was named WTA Player of the Year. Muguruza was seeded second at theWTA Finals and was drawn in the red group alongside Karolína Plíšková, Venus Williams and Jeļena Ostapenko. She won her first match against Ostapenko in straight sets before losing to Plíškova, winning two games in both sets. Muguruza then faced Williams for a place in the semifinals but ended up losing in straight sets. This loss ended her chances of gaining the year-end No. 1 ranking.
Muguruza started the season at theBrisbane International, where she was the top seed. After receiving a bye into the second round, she facedAleksandra Krunić, but was forced to retire due to cramping in the third set. Muguruza had served for the match in the second set, and the retirement marked the third straight year she had succumbed to injuries at Brisbane.[67] Muguruza then took a wild card into theSydney International, where she was once again the top seed. After beatingKiki Bertens in the second round, Muguruza withdrew from the tournament due to continued physical problems.[68]
At theAustralian Open, she was the third seed, and was also in contention for the No. 1 ranking. In the first round, she beat French wild cardJessika Ponchet, in straight sets. In the second round, Muguruza was shocked by the world No. 88, Hsieh Su-wei, in straight sets.[69]
After losing early at theAustralian Open, Muguruza announced thatConchita Martínez would be rejoining her team for the next four events.[70]In her first event back with Martínez, Garbiñe reached theQatar Open final, recording wins overDuan Yingying, Sorana Cîrstea, andCaroline Garcia en route. She then lost to Petra Kvitová, in three sets.[71] Muguruza then playedDubai, where she was seeded second. After receiving a first round bye, she beatCiCi Bellis and Caroline Garcia in straight sets. In the semifinals, Muguruza lost to Daria Kasatkina in three sets, despite having served for the match and held three match points in the second set.[72]
Her next tournament wasIndian Wells. In the second round, she playedSachia Vickery, ranked No. 100 in the world. Muguruza led by a set and a double break, but eventually succumbed in three sets.[73] At theMiami Open, she reached the fourth round where she lost to eventual championSloane Stephens.[74] The end of the tournament also marked the completion of Muguruza's temporary partnership with Martínez.[75] Later that spring, she won the championship inMonterrey, Mexico, coming back from a set and a break down to defeat Tímea Babos in three sets in the final.[76] The victory marked Muguruza's first title win since the2017 Western & Southern Open.
Her clay-court season began with theFed Cup World Group II play-offs, whereSpain was to faceParaguay. In her first match, Muguruza faced world No. 334Montserrat González, winning in three close sets. Muguruza had served for the match in the second set and held a match point, but was forced into a decider. Muguruza's next singles match was againstVerónica Cepede Royg, which she won in straight sets. The victory ensured Spain would remain in World Group II next season.[77] Her next tournament wasStuttgart, where she was the No. 2 seed. In her first match against Pavlyuchenkova, Muguruza retired after the first set because of a back injury.[78] She then played inMadrid where she lost in third round to Daria Kasatkina.[79] InRome, Muguruza had bye in first round and in second round she lost toDaria Gavrilova.[80]
AtFrench Open, she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova,Fiona Ferro, Sam Stosur,Lesia Tsurenko, and Maria Sharapova to reach the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Simona Halep.[81]
Muguruza went into grass-court season as the top seed inBirmingham, where she lost in second round to Barbora Strýcová.[82]
At Wimbledon, defending champion Muguruza was eliminated in the second round by Belgian world No. 47,Alison Van Uytvanck, and thus suffered the earliest defeat of a defending women's champion at the All England Club since Steffi Graf lost in the first round in 1994[83]
Muguruza finished her 2018 season with her ranking at a low of 18.
On 15 August 2018,Hopman Cup organizers announced that Muguruza will represent Spain at the 2019 edition alongsideDavid Ferrer.[84] At her first appearance at the tournament, she lost to Angelique Kerber of Germany in three sets.[citation needed]
At theFrench Open, Muguruza upset Elina Svitolina, the No. 9 seed, to reach her sixth consecutive round of 16.[85] However, she subsequently lost to Sloane Stephens, in straight sets.[86]
Muguruza's struggles at the majors would continue atWimbledon, losing toBeatriz Haddad Maia in the first round. Following the loss, Muguruza announced a split with her longtime coachSam Sumyk.[87] She would also go on to lose in the first round of the US Open that year.
Cutting her tennis season short, in November, Muguruza climbed to the summit ofMount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain.[88][89] She finished the season ranked No. 36.[90]
Muguruza at the2020 Australian Open, where she reached her first final of the tournament
Muguruza began thenew season with a semifinal appearance inShenzhen, losing to eventual championEkaterina Alexandrova. After pulling out of her quarterfinal match in Hobart due to illness,[91] she bounced back at theAustralian Open, beating three seeded players, including fifth seed Elina Svitolina, fourth seedSimona Halep and ninth seed Kiki Bertens to reach her fourth Grand Slam final, and first ever final in Melbourne. She lost it to 14th seedSofia Kenin in three sets. She next participated atDubai, where she defeatedKim Clijsters andVeronika Kudermetova, before being defeated byJennifer Brady in the quarterfinals, and lost in the quarterfinals ofDoha to world No. 1, Ash Barty, after defeating Daria Kasatkina,Ajla Tomljanović, andDayana Yastremska.
Following the suspension of the WTA Tour due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, she participated in theUS Open, where she defeated Nao Hibino, before losing in the second round to a returningTsvetana Pironkova, despite leading by 5–2 in the first set. She next participated atRome, where she defeated Sloane Stephens,Coco Gauff,Johanna Konta, and Victoria Azarenka, before losing in three sets to the eventual champion, Simona Halep. She then entered theFrench Open, where she defeatedTamara Zidanšek andKristýna Plíšková, before losing toDanielle Collins, despite leading 3–0, and then 5–4 in the final set. She ended the year ranked No. 15.
2021: Return to top 10, WTA Finals champion, year-end No. 3
Muguruza began her season atAbu Dhabi, where she scored wins overAliaksandra Sasnovich and Kristina Mladenovic before losing toMaria Sakkari, in straight sets. In her next tournament at theYarra Valley Classic, Muguruza dropped a total of ten games in matches against Alison Van Uytvanck, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Sofia Kenin, andMarkéta Vondroušová to make her first tour final since the2020 Australian Open. In the final, she lost to world No. 1, Ash Barty, in straight sets.
At theAustralian Open, Muguruza continued her run of good form with dominant wins overMargarita Gasparyan,Liudmila Samsonova, andZarina Diyas to make her third consecutive second-week appearance at the Australian Open. In the fourth round, she lost to eventual championNaomi Osaka in a three-setter where she held two match points in the final set. She then played theQatar Open where she defeated in-form RussianVeronika Kudermetova, upset third seed and defending championAryna Sabalenka and avenged her Abu Dhabi loss to Maria Sakkari to make the semifinals. She was due to face Victoria Azarenka, but Azarenka withdrew due to a back injury. She then faced Petra Kvitová in a rematch of the 2018 final but was unable to avenge that defeat and was crushed in straight sets.
Her next tournament was inDubai. Seeded ninth, she reached the quarterfinals with straight set wins over Irina-Camelia Begu,Amanda Anisimova and recent French Open championIga Świątek. She then came from a set and a break down to repeat her Doha victory overAryna Sabalenka to reach her third Dubai semifinal.[92] She then defeated in form tenth seedElise Mertens in two tight sets to reach her second consecutive final and her third of the year where she defeatedBarbora Krejčíková in straight sets for the title. This was her biggest title sinceCincinnati in 2017 and her first title sinceMonterrey in 2019. This also snapped her three-match losing streak in finals. She then competed at theMiami Open and lost toBianca Andreescu in the fourth round in three sets. In the clay court swing, she participated inCharleston and won her opening match before retiring in her next againstYulia Putintseva due to a left thigh injury which also caused her to withdraw from theMadrid Open. She then entered theItalian Open losing to Elina Svitolina in straight sets, after winning her first two rounds. Her berth at theFrench Open resulted in a shock first-round loss to Marta Kostyuk, in straight sets, in a match where she committed 40 unforced errors in two sets.FollowingWimbledon, where she reached the third round before losing to 21st seedOns Jabeur, Muguruza returned to the top 10 in the rankings.[93]
After early exits from theCanadian Open by Kateřina Siniaková and theCincinnati Masters byBarbora Krejčíková, Muguruza entered theUS Open as the ninth seed. She began her campaign with straight-set wins overDonna Vekić in the first round[94] andAndrea Petkovic in the second round, which also gave her her first win over Petkovic in their head-to-head record.[95] She then defeated 2020 US Open runner-up Azarenka[96] in three sets before getting knocked out by Krejčíková in the fourth round, after Krejčíková called a controversial off-court medical time-out in the second set.[97][98]
Next, Muguruza embarked on the inauguralChicago Classic and entered as the second seed. She had two straight-set wins overAnn Li andMai Hontama in the second round and quarterfinals, respectively, but also received two walkovers from Azarenka and Markéta Vondroušová in the third round and semifinals, respectively, to reach the final.[99][100] There, she met Jabeur and avenged her loss to her earlier this year after she won the match in three sets to receive her ninth career singles title.[101][102] Following her win, she traveled toIndian Wells, where she was upset in a three-set loss by Ajla Tomljanović in her first match there.[103] She took on her last tournament of the year at theKremlin Cup in Moscow and won overTereza Martincová in three sets in the second round before she was a dealt a straight-setbreadstick defeat by eventual champion Anett Kontaveit in the quarterfinals.[104][105] Following her successful year, Muguruza qualified for the year-end2021 WTA Finals.[106] She reached the semifinals stage defeating Anett Kontaveit ending her 12 match-winning streak.[107] She defeatedPaula Badosa in an all Spanish semifinal to reach the year-end tournament final for the first time in her career and to become the first Spanish player to reach the singles final since 1993.[108] In the final, she defeated Anett Kontaveit in straight sets for the second time in the tournament, to win her first WTA Finals championship. She ended the year ranked No. 3.
2022: Loss of form, 300th WTA career win, out of top 50
Muguruza began her season at theSydney International where she was the second seed. After a first-round bye, Muguruza defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets, before losing in the quarterfinals toDaria Kasatkina in straight sets. Muguruza entered theAustralian Open as the third seed and beatClara Burel, in straight sets, in the first round. Muguruza was upset in the second round with a straight-sets loss to world No. 61, Alizé Cornet. AtDubai, Muguruza defeatedKateřina Siniaková in the first round, before being defeated in the second round byVeronika Kudermetova. She reached her second quarterfinal of the year inDoha, defeatingSorana Cîrstea andMadison Brengle before being defeated in straight sets by Jeļena Ostapenko.
In receipt of a first-round bye atIndian Wells, she was defeated in the second round byAlison Riske-Amritraj; she next withdrew fromMiami. On 29 April, she recorded her 300th WTA career win, defeating Ajla Tomljanović atMadrid in the first round, before being defeated handily byAnhelina Kalinina in the second round.[109] After losing in her first match atRome byYulia Putintseva in three sets, Muguruza accepted a wild card intoRabat. Defeating lucky loserAnna Danilina in the first round, she was defeated in the second round byMartina Trevisan. A dismal clay court season was capped off by a first round defeat at theFrench Open to Kaia Kanepi. For the first time since 2013, Muguruza lost more matches on clay than she won, ending the season with a 2–4 record on the surface.[110]
After withdrawing fromSan Jose, Muguruza played her first match of the US hard court season atToronto. In receipt of a first-round bye, she defeated Kaia Kanepi in the second round before losing to Belinda Bencic, winning just four games. In receipt of a first-round bye atCincinnati, she was defeated in her opening match by Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. At theUS Open, Muguruza reached the third round after defeatingClara Tauson and qualifierLinda Fruhvirtová in straight sets. In the third round, she was defeated by Petra Kvitová, despite holding two match points in the third set. After failing to defend her fourth round points obtained last year, she fell out of the top ten of the rankings for the first time since July 2021.
In receipt of a first round bye atTokyo, she defeatedDespina Papamichail before losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual championLiudmila Samsonova in straight sets. Next participating inSan Diego, Muguruza retired from her first round match due to abdominal injury againstZheng Qinwen after falling 0–5 down. She ended her disappointing season on a sad note after withdrawing fromGuadalajara Open due to illness. Due to poor results through the season, she finished the year out of top 50 for the first time since 2013.
Muguruza began her 2023 season at theAdelaide International 1. As a wildcard entrant, she lost in the first round to Bianca Andreescu in three sets, despite having a set and a break lead.[111] She took another wildcard inAdelaide International 2, but lost again in the first round toBelinda Bencic in straight sets.[112] Unseeded at theAustralian Open for the first time since 2020, she lost in the first round to 26th seedElise Mertens in three sets.[113] This marked her first loss in the opening round of the Australian Open since her debut in 2013. She then took a wildcard at theLyon Open, where she lost in the first round in straight sets to qualifierLinda Noskova.[114]
This defeat, Muguruza's sixth consecutive loss dating to September 2022, would prove to be her last professional appearance. She announced afterwards she was taking a hiatus from tennis, initially withdrawing from the Middle Eastern and American hard court tournaments. She later announced that she would be extending her break from tennis, withdrawing from all events up to the end of the grass court season.[115] In an interview towards the end of 2023, she stated that she had "no intention" to return to the WTA Tour, as she was enjoying her hiatus.[116] Muguruza formally announced her retirement from tennis on 20 April 2024 at the age of 30, ending a 12-year career.[117][118]
Muguruza was an aggressive all-court player, whose game is centered around her flat, powerful groundstrokes. Her groundstrokes allow her to take time away from her opponents and dictate baseline rallies, despite the fact that Muguruza may often refrain from going for the lines, or hitting outright winners. Retired tennis playerAgnieszka Radwańska described Muguruza's playing style as being "very explosive, especially from every shot. So forehand, backhand, serve, return, everything is coming to you so fast."[119][120][121]
Her first serve is powerful, being recorded as high as 113 mph (182 km/h), allowing her to serve numerous aces in any match, and dictate play from the first stroke.
She was coached byAlejo Mancisidor from 2010 to 2015, but she then hired Sam Sumyk in 2015. Muguruza split from Sumyk in 2019, and began working again withConchita Martínez that November. Martinez previously coached Muguruza at2017 Wimbledon, where she won the title.
Muguruza has been endorsed byAdidas for clothing, footwear, and apparel since 2012, and frequently wears the range designed byStella McCartney. Throughout her career, Muguruza has been endorsed byBabolat for racquets, specifically using the Pure Drive collection. She was named the ambassador forMazda Spain in June 2014[122] and forBBVA bank in December 2014.[123] Her other endorsement partners areRolex,Evian,Jaguar Cars,Nivea,Beats Electronics, andMaui Jim.[124][125] In June 2016, she was named the 14th most marketable athlete bySportsPro.[126]
In June 2017, shortly before winning her first Wimbledon women's singles crown, Muguruza announced that she had become an Ambassador for the international education NGORoom to Read.[127] Muguruza announced plans to help the organisation grow its impact in the areas of early grade literacy and equal access to secondary education for girls.
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