"It's always been something I've wanted" - Garbine Muguruza on her goal of completing the career Grand Slam
Garbine Muguruza has revealed it has always been her goal to win all four Majors and complete a career Grand Slam. The World No. 3 also spoke of it being good to put pressure on herself by sharing her ambitions more openly now than earlier in her career.
Muguruza has won two of the four Grand Slam events: the French Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2017. She was also a runner-up at the All England Club in 2015.
The Spaniard reached the final of the Australian Open in 2020, while her best US Open result to date is reaching the fourth round in 2017 and 2021. Muguruza's other eight WTA titles have all come on hard courts, including the 2021 WTA Finals in Guadalajara last month.
In an interview with EFE, as reported by ESPN, Muguruza explained how claiming tennis' four biggest titles has always been a target, while referencing the Australian Open final she lost to Sofia Kenin last year.
"(On winning all four Majors) It's always [been] something I've wanted," Muguruza said. "Especially when I played the final in Australia last year, which is a Grand Slam tournament that I don't have. Yes, I would love to close the Slam circle - any tennis player [would], right? But it is a goal to have and to stay at the top of tennis, competing for trophies. It is always my goal."
The former World No. 1 then admitted she did not want to speak about her goals earlier in her career but that she now feels it is a positive thing.
"I never wanted to share my goals much just in case," Muguruza continued. "Now I am more open to honestly say that I would like to win this or another tournament, complete this, complete this, that. I think it's great. They are the goals that everyone dreams of. I love them and I put pressure on myself but I think that's good. As long as I dream big, it's good that I feel pressure."
"I am more motivated than ever to compete again" - Garbine Muguruza
Garbine Muguruza discussed how to deal with the challenges of the long tennis season after concluding her 2021 campaign by claiming the WTA Finals title two weeks ago. The 28-year-old also expressed the drive she has to return to action in 2022.
"The season of a tennis player is very long and neither does one look at it as if it were a mountain," Muguruza added. "You go little by little, it is month by month, you go on tours. You organize yourself well so that it does not become too heavy because it is true that it is extensive, but what is going on - quite the opposite. [I am] more motivated than ever to compete again."