MADRID, 13 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Garbiñe Muguruza has acknowledged that she left the Australian Open “disappointed”, the first ‘Grand Slam’ of the season and where she fell in the second round, and that her defeat was “a wake-up call”, although she has warned that ” it’s already past” and that it’s time to focus on the future.
“I left disappointed. It took me a couple of days to return home. I thought, how am I going to change things? How am I going to come back stronger? It was a wake-up call,” he declared at a press conference about his defeat in the second round of the oceanic ‘great’ against the French Alize Cornet (6-3, 6-3).
In this sense, he explained that after that, he began “to train quite quickly”. “I worked well and told myself ‘I’m going to prepare better’. It’s always disappointing to lose in a ‘Grand Slam’ so early. But we have to move on and I’m here. Australia is already past”, she stressed.
Now, he returns to action in the Dubai tournament, in the WTA 500 category and where he won the title last year. “Winning here last year meant a lot. It was a very strange tournament; I came at the last moment from Doha, without part of my team, playing so many games in a row… I think it was a great experience, it gave me a lot of confidence,” he recalled. .
Maria Sakkari’s last-minute withdrawal has meant that the Spaniard is no longer facing the American Danielle Collins, a finalist at the Australian Open, and has to wait to find out the name of the qualifying player. “It’s a complicated surface; the ball flies, it’s a fast court. I don’t have a favorite rival to play, I think they will all be tough,” she said.
In another order of things, he explained what it is like to work with Conchita Martínez. “We all know his career in tennis, but I would say that outside of tennis he is a very calm and empathetic person. It is not easy to find people in the coaching area who really understand you, and with even fewer words you can communicate. That is important to me,” he said.
On the other hand, Muguruza was happy for the entry of Paula Badosa in the ‘Top 5’. “She’s great, she’s very talented. I think she solved her puzzle, and she jumped from year to year. It took her time to show her tennis and it’s great to see her around here. I look forward to sharing more experiences with her, and having someone from the same country in the circuit helps. I also miss Carla -Suárez- a lot now that she’s gone. And Paula arrived, it’s always good to have someone, “he said.
He was also “very happy” for Australian Ashleigh Barty’s victory in Melbourne. “She is proving to be a very serene and very solid number one. Regarding her tennis, we all know that she is very talented. She is taking it in a very mature way, very stable. Sometimes it is difficult because of all this pressure to play at home . He deserved it,” he said.
Finally, he recalled Rafa Nadal’s final in the Australian ‘great’. “My God, what a game! He was very focused all the time, it was a legendary game. I can’t watch too many games because of time, training or schedule, but I had to see this one. It was really impressive, he showed his essence in that game. He is tough, strong, everything. It was a perfect example that he is the best to turn a game around, fight and win.”