Wimbledon champion releases statement confirming SW19 snub

Garbine Muguruza has announced that she will miss the clay and grass seasons this year as she extends her break from tennis. The former world No 1 has not competed since January and admitted she was enjoying her hiatus from the sport so much that she would continue for at least three more months. It means she will miss Wimbledon and the French Open despite being a former champion at both Majors.

Muguruza has been sidelined since January, when she lost to teenager Linda Noskova in the first round of the Lyon Open. The Spaniard has been struggling with her form of late, with her last victory coming back in September at the Tokyo WTA 500.

The two-time Grand Slam champion decided to take a break from the sport following her defeat in Lyon, pulling out of the first two 1000 events of the season in Indian Wells and Miami. And she has now announced that her break will continue for at least three more months, deciding to skip the clay and grass seasons.

“Spending time with family and friends and it’s really been healthy and amazing,” the 29-year-old wrote on Instagram. “So I am going to lengthen this period till summer, therefore I am going to miss clay and grass season.”

Just in
Alcaraz clears Djokovic path as doctors order Monte Carlo withdrawal [LATEST]

It means that Muguruza will not compete at two of the season’s Grand Slams at the French Open and Wimbledon, where she is a former champion. The Spaniard won her maiden Major title in Paris back in 2016, upsetting Serena Williams in the final.

She followed it up by defeating Venus Williams to win Wimbledon in 2017, and then reached the top of the rankings a few months later following a run to the US Open fourth round. Muguruza then struggled in 2018 and 2019 before starting 2020 off with an appearance in the Australian Open final, losing to Sofia Kenin.

Don’t miss…
Novak Djokovic has burning Medvedev concern with Nadal sidelined [ANALYSIS]
Rafael Nadal pulls out of Monte Carlo Masters to postpone comeback [UPDATE]
John McEnroe in furious outburst during £880k Andre Agassi clash [RECAP]

With most of the 2020 season suspended during the pandemic, Muguruza continued her return to form in 2021 when she reached finals at the WTA 500 events in Melbourne and Doha before capturing the title in Dubai.

The 29-year-old was able to end the year as the world No 3 after picking up trophies in Chicago and at the WTA Finals – her biggest title since winning Wimbledon. A poor 2022 saw Muguruza drop out of the world’s top 50 and she now sits at No 132, with her ranking set to drop further after extending her hiatus.

Source: Read Full Article