There’s a saying that goes, “Set your expectations low, then be surprised when you exceed them”.
But world No.3 Garbine Muguruza is throwing expectations out the window this week at the Brisbane International. For the 2015 Wimbledon finalist, it’s about starting the year off on the right – and healthy – foot.
“This is the first tournament of the year, so I try not to expect anything,” Muguruza, the No.2 seed in Brisbane, told reporters. “I want to be healthy and have good energy this week. I want to do what I’ve been doing in practice. I obviously want to win, but I’m not thinking about that.”
A year ago Muguruza arrived at the Queensland Tennis Centre brimming with hope. The up-and-coming Spaniard then abruptly twisted her ankle on New Year’s Eve, forcing her to withdraw from the event and head down the road to Sydney to start her season the next week.
“Last year (in Brisbane) was terrible,” she said, putting her face in her hands. “This year it’s better. Let’s just have a great tournament.”
Muguruza, now 22, ended up having a great 2015, however. She was stellar in her dark-horse run to the Wimbledon final, where she put up a valiant fight against world No.1 Serena Williams. Then she went on a tear in the Asian swing of the season, finishing the year 13-3 and winning the biggest title of her career in Beijing.
“I’ve always dreamed to play a grand slam final and Wimbledon was incredible,” Muguruza said. “Beijing was really motivating for me because I was able to keep that level that I showed at Wimbledon. I think it was great for me to be playing that level again.”
That level is high. Muguruza sweeps across the backcourt with force, and blasts some of the most powerful groundstrokes on the WTA Tour. After the US Open she brought on Sam Sumyk as her coach, the former adviser to Victoria Azarenka and Genie Bouchard. The two put in a training block in Los Angeles prior to their arrival in Australia.
“Sam is a great tennis coach,” she said. “He knows what it takes to be there, and that’s a difficult thing to find as a player. He’s been there coaching top players for many years.”
As the No.2 seed in Brisbane, Muguruza receives a bye this week and will face Varvara Lepchenko in her first match. She should win that match her quarterfinal opponent would be her compatriot (and sometimes doubles partner) Carla Suarez Navarro, the No.5 seed, or Australia’s Sam Stosur.
The question that is following her around Brisbane this week is if she will pair with countryman Rafael Nadal at the Rio Olympic Games in mixed doubles.
She flashes her trademark, toothy smile each time she is asked and shrugs her shoulders, laughing.
“If I have the opportunity, I think it would be great to play with Rafa,” she said. “Everyone is talking about Rafa, but I haven’t even talked to him. I don’t know. I’m playing doubles too, so if you play all three (events) maybe you won’t do (well) in any.”
But for this week it’s one event – singles in Brisbane. And if her potential Olympic mixed doubles partner Nadal is known as “the Spanish bull” on the tennis court, what animal would best represent Muguruza?
“Maybe the giraffe?” she laughed.