In two starts at the Brisbane International, Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza has had her campaign cut short due to injury.
After an off-season in which she worked hard on her fitness in California, though, the top seed hopes the curse will break as she enters Tuesday’s first-round match fully fit.
“On the fitness side, you need a little bit extra time to get ready, get stronger … that was my focus,” Muguruza said of her third consecutive off-season in the warm American West Coast winter.
“The Australian swing is interesting because everybody comes from a period of time where there is a lot of training and you put new things in your game.”
Coming into the tournament as the reigning Wimbledon and Cincinnati champion, and having claimed the world No.1 ranking briefly in September, the 24-year-old is full of optimism, but wary of the draw.
“Everyone is at such an equal level and really consistent,” Muguruza said. “Every week there is a new chance for the [No.1] ranking, the tournament, so it’s interesting right now.”
The Spaniard will play fellow 24-year-old Serb Aleksandra Krunic, a talented counter-puncher, in the first match-up on Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday.
It will be the first meeting between the pair.
If she progresses through the draw, Muguruza has a potential quarterfinal against crafty Latvian Anastasija Sevastova and a potential semifinal against No.3 seed Elina Svitolina or No.5 seed Johanna Konta.
She will now focus solely on the singles after her doubles partner Carla Suarez Navarro withdrew from the tournament with blisters following her opening-round singles defeat to Svitolina.
The players that will emerge on top in the fight for top-10 real estate this year is a “mystery”, according to Muguruza, with the Spaniard pointing to the five players who reached No.1 last year, and the return of Serena Williams to the game.
“She [Serena] is always going to be one of the best players in the world no matter which state she’s in,” she said. “So it’s going to be really interesting to see her play.”