Shaping her WTA Finals vision in Riyadh

Garbiñe Muguruza announced her retirement back in April, but she is already playing ball in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in preparation for the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF, which starts on November 2.

Wait… what?

Muguruza has been inside King Saud University’s indoor arena, checking the luxury hotel rooms to ensure the most exacting standards are met, and overseeing the intense preparation that comes with an end-of-year championship.

The two-time Grand Slam singles champion – and winner of the 2021 WTA Finals in Guadalajara – finds himself in a new role: tournament director.

“For people who look at the big picture, there are also so many small details,” Muguruza said recently from her home in Geneva. “I can bring the player’s perspective to the event. This is something the WTA has not had before in this tournament. Knowing what the players need and feeling, being there for them, talking to them and making sure they have everything they need – that’s my job.

“Making sure they feel comfortable in our new home. It is a country that tennis has not yet reached, so it will be historic to have a WTA Final in the Kingdom. And being part of the tennis community is in my DNA.”

Earlier this month, Muguruza married Arthur Borges – they met by chance in New York’s Central Park a few years ago – but her focus was also on this elite event featuring the world’s best singles and doubles players. There is more than $15 million in prize money and a wealth of ranking points available.

For Muguruza, it was an education in learning sports.

“Oh my God,” she said. “Structure, sponsors, working with a huge team, everyone professional in their own field. As a player you do your thing and you don’t realize how much it takes to put together such an event.”

As a player, Muguruza was formidable, winning at Roland Garros in 2016 and Wimbledon a year later. In 2021, she qualified for the year-end championships for the fourth and final time in her career. Muguruza was at the US Open when she heard she had qualified from WTA president Steve Simon.

“He said, ‘There’s a good chance it’s going to Mexico,’” said the Caracas, Venezuela-born Muguruza. “And when I heard that, I was like, ‘What? You mean to tell me it’s going to be Latin America?’ This is my place. This is my final.’

“I loved playing in Latin America and somehow I connected with the audience. Everything just came along.”

This was just three years ago and Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek were also in the field, with Sabalenka the top seed. Muguruza, seeded No. 6, had lost her previous match to Anett Kontaveit in the Moscow quarterfinals, but in Guadalajara she avenged that loss by winning in straight sets. She was extended to three sets but rallied to eliminate Barbora Krejcikova. In her final match of group play, Muguruza lost a thrilling third-set tiebreak to Karolina Pliskova but still advanced to the semifinals.

There, Muguruza defeated Paula Badosa in straight sets and then defeated Kontaveit for the second time, 6–3, 7–5, to take the WTA Finals title – her last as a professional.

“It’s already difficult to qualify for the tournament, insane actually,” said Muguruza. “The only thought is: ‘I have to qualify, I have to qualify.’ And then you’re there playing. It’s the culmination of one of my best seasons, winning many tournaments, qualifying and winning in Mexico. It was a great, great finish.”

Speaking of amazing, Muguruza was part of one of the wildest WTA Finals ever in Singapore in 2017. Entering the tournament, Simona Halep had a 41-point lead over Muguruza for the No. 1 ranking, the smallest margin in history. Incredibly, the next five seeds – Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina, Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Ostapenko – were also all in the mix for the year-end No. 1 spot. Seven players for one spot. It never happened, and it hasn’t happened since.

“That year,” Muguruza said, “was the toughest. Everyone played well. It just shows that there wasn’t one dominant player. It was a battle every final. That is rare, because usually there are one or two players at a better level.

“But it was good to have this match. You get a heart attack almost every tournament. And then another one during the WTA Finals.”

Muguruza won her first match against Ostapenko, but fell prey to both Pliskova and Williams in group play. Ultimately, Wozniacki was the champion, beating Williams 6-4, 6-4 in the final, ending a seven-match losing streak against the American.

When Pliskova lost in the semifinals, Halep was the year-end No. 1. Muguruza was number 2.

“Disappointing, obviously,” she said. “If I play this tournament at the end, no matter what happens, I will have made it. I was a great player this year. But every game we played for No. 1. It was just so exhausting. I did what I could, but I guess it wasn’t like that.

“It is the ultimate tournament, the last of the year, where you play for everything. It will be very interesting this year with (No. 1) Aryna Sabalenka. It will be interesting how she handles all this pressure.”

Muguruza watched with great interest the recent gathering of elite ATP Tour players in Riyadh for the Six Kings exhibition. She was even a commentator for Tennis Channel.

“It shows that there is a lot of interest in tennis in the Kingdom,” Muguruza said. “It was an exhibition, but ours is an official tournament. I’m really looking forward to it.

“We want to make it great, so when they come back next year they will be very excited.”