Garbine Muguruza knows what it’s like to be the best in the world on the tennis court.
On the waves, though, not so much.
“I surfed before,” the former world No. 1 said, “but to be honest, it was ridiculous.”
Close to a year removed from a ridiculously successful 2017 season, Muguruza is looking forward to a chance to work on both aspects — in varying degrees — as she heads into a new year.
The two-time Grand Slam champion will make her first visit to the islands this winter to play in the Hawaii Open as part of her preparation for the 2019 season and the summer heat in Australia.
Muguruza headlines the revamped Hawaii Open’s six-player women’s field. She will be joined by CoCo Vandeweghe, Eugenie Bouchard, CiCi Bellis, Christina McHale and Kayla Day in the event set for Dec. 21-23 at Blaisdell Arena.
“I saw the players who are going and I’ve played against them in very important matches,” Muguruza said in a recent phone interview with the Star-Advertiser. “It’s going to be a different vibe because it’s not a tournament, but it’s going to be super competitive to be able to play a couple of matches against the best players.”
The men’s field is led by Japan’s Kei Nishikori, who closed the season at No. 9 in the world, and No. 18 Milos Raonic of Canada.
Muguruza ended the 2018 season at No. 18 in Women’s Tennis Association rankings after closing 2017 at No. 2 in the world.
She picked up her first Grand Slam title by winning the French Open in 2016, added another as the Wimbledon champion in 2017 and ascended to No. 1 in the world that September.
“It’s something incredible,” she said. “It was my dream since I was a little girl to be able to achieve those things. The classic ‘dreams come true’ sentence, well that was what I felt last year. Being there just opens your eyes to how cool it is. Every day I work, I go back on the court thinking to be again in that situation.”
Muguruza, who represents Spain on the WTA tour, won the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey, Mexico, in April for her sixth career tournament victory and reached the semifinals of the French Open before losing to current No. 1 Simona Halep. But the rest of the year was a struggle, as she slipped from No. 3 in early July to No. 18 in November. She closed the season by reaching the semifinals of the WTA Elite in Zhuhai, China.
Muguruza reflected on the season as a growth experience as she looks ahead to 2019.
“(2017) was incredible, so of course if you compare it’s less attractive,” Muguruza said. “But I’m taking it as a very good year to understand, to learn, to see a few things that I didn’t see in other years, and I’m staying very positive and getting ready for next year.”
Muguruza planned to “drop the racket” for a bit following the season to give herself a chance to recharge before ramping up her training for the new season. The Hawaii Open offers a chance to work on “the last touch to start the year” before the tour’s Down Under swing in advance of the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 14.
While in Hawaii, she plans to mix training with going “to all the beaches I can.”
“I was just so looking forward to have an excuse to go to Hawaii,” she said. “I think it’s perfect because I’m going to go play tennis, hopefully there’s a (big) crowd and at the same time get to know the place.”
As for perhaps getting on a board again. …
“It might not be the best place to try to surf because I think it’s for very professional people,” she said, “but just to maybe watch the others to surf.”
HAWAII OPEN
>> When: Dec. 21-23
>> Where: Blaisdell Arena
>> Players to watch: Top players, including No. 9 Kei Nishikori, ATP World Tour No. 18 Milos Raonic, WTA No. 18 Garbiñe Muguruza and Wimbledon finalist Genie Bouchard.
>> Tickets: Daily tickets and three-day passes for the Hawaii Open, presented by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, are available at hawaiitennisopen.com and ticketmaster.com. The event will include a special session after the matches on Dec. 22 to benefit volcano relief efforts.
