Garbine Muguruza's 'unexpected' journey from winning WTA Finals to running the show


Reem Abulleil
  • English
  • Arabic

Most tennis players choose to spend some time away from the sport once they hang up their racquet. But for Garbine Muguruza, taking on the role of tournament director of the WTA Finals just a few weeks after she announced her retirement from tennis was a no-brainer.

The former world No 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion hadn’t played a professional match for over a year before she officially shared news of her retirement in a press conference at the Madrid Open in April.

When the WTA and Saudi Tennis Federation came knocking on her door shortly after, offering her the position of tournament director for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, she immediately accepted.

The Spaniard says the 15 months she took between her final match and her retirement announcement helped her “digest everything” and by the time she broke the news to the world, she felt like she was already on to the next chapter of her life.

“It was unexpected, this opportunity. I wasn’t expecting it,” Muguruza told The National in a recent interview ahead of theWTA Finals, which kick off at King Saud University this Saturday.

“I’m so honoured that the WTA thought of me in that way, that they have trusted me with this responsibility; to me it’s a very big deal, just to move from tennis to another perspective, of making events.”

Understanding the industry

Muguruza, who won the WTA Finals in Guadalajara in 2021, has shared a locker room with most of the players that will be competing in Riyadh next week.

The tour believes that close connection between Muguruza, 31, and her former peers can help enhance player experience at this year’s edition.

“I think the players are going to be comfortable to talk to me. That’s really something that is different this year, having a familiar face they can rely on and make them feel safe in a way,” she explained.

For Muguruza, getting to know all the ins and outs of what it takes to stage an event of this magnitude has been eye opening.

“I’m shocked with the amount of work and how they take every detail. When you’re a player you don’t realise any of this,” said the Wimbledon and French Open winner.

“You’re like a horse [with blinkers], just concentrating. But I’m really learning so much [about] the industry, the business of sport. That’s very important to me because I do want to understand every concept.

“I’m very excited, it’s such an opportunity. When they told me, I said immediately ‘yes’. It’s a new project, it’s a new market. I couldn’t wait to start.”

Muguruza has made multiple trips to Riyadh since taking on the tournament director role, participating in various community engagement activities.

Last month, just 10 days before her wedding, Muguruza joined WTA Community Ambassador Judy Murray in a series of tennis clinics dedicated to kids, teachers, and coaches.

“I’m noticing that tennis is not a very strong sport in the country. I think it’s going to now go through a bit of a shake up with all the tournaments and all the activities and the influence,” said Muguruza.

“Hopefully through the tournament, the people can be more influenced to play some tennis and to be motivated.”

Feeling like a ‘rookie’

When Muguruza told reporters she was retiring, she looked calm and at peace with her decision, despite the fact she didn’t know exactly what she was going to do next.

Many players struggle to dissociate their identity from their profession, and when they retire it gets harder to understand themselves without the sport they dedicated their lives to.

Muguruza took her time navigating those feelings, and came out the other side feeling excited.

“I don’t think I dropped a single tear in the whole process,” she recalls. “It’s weird because I’ve been playing tennis since I have memory and I identify myself as a tennis player, forever and ever, and I will always be. But there is a time for everything, there’s a chapter for everything.

“It’s always scary to take decisions, to see what’s next, to go into the open world. I’ve always been accustomed to my little sports world, tennis world, so what now? Everything is new, you feel like a rookie in everything, that’s something that I keep feeling all the time.

“But it’s good, it’s exciting. At the beginning I was doubting a little bit, like, 'what’s going to happen?' But it quickly faded away because I was like, ‘Wow, I’m starting a new chapter, I’m so young’, and now I’m just learning about different things and let’s just try and give it a chance. I’m doing so many little different things, it’s very exciting.”

‘Hungry to learn’

Not much has surprised her about life away from competition. She thought she would perhaps get bored without the constant travel and hectic schedule, but somehow that hasn’t been the case.

“I’m so happy to be home with my partner [now husband], my mum, my dad, my brothers, I want to get a dog. I didn’t know what to expect. Maybe I would be bored at home. Maybe I’d like to travel again, but so many opportunities came quite quickly and that fulfilled me so quickly. Like, OK, I have so many things to do, let’s go; I’m so ready and hungry to learn,” she says.

Muguruza married her partner Arthur Borges on October 5 in an intimate ceremony in Spain. She laughs when asked her if she was nervous in the build-up.

“So many people asked me, are you nervous? I’m like I will never be nervous in my life,” she said. “I’ve been so nervous playing finals, nothing can compare to Wimbledon and French Open finals, I’m zero nervous. This is so easy in comparison.”

In order to handle the pressure of the big stage during her playing days, Muguruza came up with unique offseason activities that challenged her both mentally and physically.

While most players flew to the Maldives the moment their season was over, Muguruza, especially later in her career, channeled her inner daredevil. In 2019, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. In 2020, she chose military training with Spain’s Civil Guard, jumping from helicopters, cave-diving, and trekking mountains on search and rescue missions.

She says seeking out those adventures helped her mentally in the seasons that followed.

“I definitely needed something extra. I needed something that will disconnect everything from my mind, that I will not be thinking about the tour, about the rankings, about the schedule, about nothing,” she reflects.

“I wanted to do something with adrenalin, something that will make me feel like I will get out of this experience stronger. I’m going to come out of this trip feeling invincible. I definitely wanted to recharge that part of me, that adventure side, that determination.

“Because it’s tough on the tennis tour, you get the doubts, the ups and downs, I was like, 'I need to recharge this, I need to feel like, let’s go'.

“So not every year, but I definitely felt in certain years that I need to feel strong again, let’s do something crazy.”

Not long after summiting Kilimanjaro, Muguruza reached the 2020 Australian Open, the fourth Grand Slam final of her career. She lost in three sets to Sofia Kenin.

“I definitely felt that I was stronger. Especially my trip to Kilimanjaro, I am 100 per cent sure that I did that Australian Open final because I did that trip. That gave me invincible energy,” Muguruza said.

“Even though I lost the final, even though I was sick. It was a crazy tournament, how it started, how it ended. But that gave me perspective of, OK, there are tough things, but there is also the toughest thing. It’s hard to play a tournament, but it’s also hard to climb something and to be out there, and to do things that are also for yourself.

“Not only for the trophy, for the picture, for the money. This was just a spiritual recharging thing. I think that definitely helped me so many times after, to succeed in tennis.”

Muguruza acknowledges the tennis schedule is unrelenting and can be taxing but she says she never complained about that aspect of the tour.

“Personally, would I have stayed longer [in the sport] if it were different? No, I don’t think so because I never complained about the tour. It is what it is, we have so many opportunities, you can also make your own schedule. You don’t have to be forced to play all the tournaments,” she explained.

“It’s great to have so many tournaments, so many opportunities for players who are not top 50, not top 10. And after you can make your own schedule.

“I don’t think there’s a reason to complain. I think it’s the opposite. It’s great. You make your own schedule and you know your own capacity. Especially if you’re winning a lot of matches, you’re like, OK, maybe I should relax here, maybe I should go harder here.”

Drawing inspiration from Serena and Sharapova

Muguruza is only just starting her post-tennis career and isn’t sure where life will take her. She knows she would love to work with kids in some capacity and also doesn’t rule out coaching someday.

“I don’t know when or how. I’m not ready for what it requires to be a full-time coach, absolutely not. But being part of a team is just so amazing and I’d love to feel that again one day,” she said.

Retired stars like Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have been enjoying great success in the business world by investing in numerous ventures and are examples of how to follow a great sporting career with an equally impressive business one.

“It’s so interesting to see what paths people take, because it can be very different. Normally people stay around the world of sport but having Maria and Serena, I always looked up to them so much. Even though we shared the court, they’re a little bit the older generation. I always follow them, I can’t wait to see what’s next for them,” said Muguruza.

“They’re being so successful in different ventures. I obviously would love to be as successful outside of the court than on the court, but it’s yet to see what it’s going to be. I’m just starting.”

Reflecting on Guadalajara

At the moment, Muguruza’s efforts are strictly focused on the WTA Finals, which will be held from November 2-9 in Riyadh.

Muguruza has fond memories of her own from winning the tour’s season finale in Guadalajara three years ago. Muguruza was born in her mother’s native Venezuela before she moved to Spain at the age of six.

Getting to lift the WTA Finals trophy in Mexico meant a great deal to the Caracas-born Spaniard.

Reflecting on her incredible run there, Muguruza said: “It all started in the US Open. Because I was in the US Open and I saw [then WTA CEO] Steve Simon and I was like, ‘Steve, when and where is the Finals?’ Because it was still unknown.

“And he said to me, ‘You know Garbine, there’s a big possibility that it’s happening in Mexico’. And I was like, this is it, this is it, this is my tournament, no one else's. It’s happening for the first time ever in Latin America, I have to make it.

“I didn’t start very well but the support that the people gave me, the crowd cheering for me, being there, I played so well in Mexico. I was so happy that there was a representation of tennis in Mexico, a big tournament.

“And as the only Latin player out there in the Finals, I was like, this is my opportunity, I have to somehow win this thing. The crowd and just being there helped me so much to bring out the best of me.”

When asked to look back on her professional tennis career and describe what legacy she hopes to have left behind, Muguruza doesn’t list any of her titles.

“I never thought of what would people remember me by. Hopefully [being] explosive, happy personality, even if on the court I wasn’t smiling a lot. I think I’m very different on court than outside the court.

“Just a beautiful story, being Latin and just the journey of achieving your dreams, becoming world No 1, starting in a place that no one would have ever thought. That’s what I want to be remembered by.

“Yes, winning Wimbledon, that’s great and everything, but how someone can achieve their dreams by being ambitious and believing. I think that’s my definition.”

“Hopefully someone [in Saudi Arabia] gets inspired, like I did,” she added with a smile.

'Moonshot'

Director: Chris Winterbauer

Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse 

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%204.4-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20653hp%20at%205%2C400rpm%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20800Nm%20at%201%2C600-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3ETransmission%3A%208-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E0-100kph%20in%204.3sec%0D%3Cbr%3ETop%20speed%20250kph%0D%3Cbr%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20NA%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Q2%202023%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh750%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Representing%20UAE%20overseas
%3Cp%3E%0DIf%20Catherine%20Richards%20debuts%20for%20Wales%20in%20the%20Six%20Nations%2C%20she%20will%20be%20the%20latest%20to%20have%20made%20it%20from%20the%20UAE%20to%20the%20top%20tier%20of%20the%20international%20game%20in%20the%20oval%20ball%20codes.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESeren%20Gough-Walters%20(Wales%20rugby%20league)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBorn%20in%20Dubai%2C%20raised%20in%20Sharjah%2C%20and%20once%20an%20immigration%20officer%20at%20the%20British%20Embassy%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20she%20debuted%20for%20Wales%20in%20rugby%20league%20in%202021.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESophie%20Shams%20(England%20sevens)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EWith%20an%20Emirati%20father%20and%20English%20mother%2C%20Shams%20excelled%20at%20rugby%20at%20school%20in%20Dubai%2C%20and%20went%20on%20to%20represent%20England%20on%20the%20sevens%20circuit.%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFiona%20Reidy%20(Ireland)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMade%20her%20Test%20rugby%20bow%20for%20Ireland%20against%20England%20in%202015%2C%20having%20played%20for%20four%20years%20in%20the%20capital%20with%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%20previously.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Reputation

Taylor Swift

(Big Machine Records)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo 

 Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua

 Based: Dubai, UAE

 Number of employees: 28

 Sector: Financial services

 Investment: $9.5m

 Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 

 
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Aggro%20Dr1ft
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Harmony%20Korine%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Jordi%20Molla%2C%20Travis%20Scott%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Maestro
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBradley%20Cooper%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBradley%20Cooper%2C%20Carey%20Mulligan%2C%20Maya%20Hawke%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Barbie
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Greta%20Gerwig%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Margot%20Robbie%2C%20Ryan%20Gosling%2C%20Will%20Ferrell%2C%20America%20Ferrera%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 390bhp

Torque: 400Nm

Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

Volunteers offer workers a lifeline

Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.

When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.

Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.

Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.

“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.

Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.

“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Tank warfare

Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks. 

“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.

“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E666hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%20at%202%2C300-4%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ1%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh1.15%20million%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amit%20Joshi%20and%20Aradhana%20Sah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECast%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shahid%20Kapoor%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%2C%20Dharmendra%2C%20Dimple%20Kapadia%2C%20Rakesh%20Bedi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Small%20Things%20Like%20These
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Tim%20Mielants%3Cbr%3ECast%3A%20Cillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Watson%2C%20Eileen%20Walsh%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: October 31, 2024, 6:03 AM`