“Everything gets on you fast,” said Aggie Radwanska of Muguruza’s aggressive all-court game: big whopping ground strokes, aggressive returns taken early, big serves and swinging volleys, her lengthy six feet of grace and power always looking to move in closer, smother her opponents with big shot after big shot. Covid came fast, too. Put a stop to so many worlds. Indian Wells canceled, then Miami, then Wimbledon. My wife and I stayed indoors for a year.
After Covid travel restrictions forced the WTA to cancel the 2021 WTA finals in Shenzen, China, the WTA found a new first-time host city: Guadalajara. “Oh, my God, are you sure?” asked Muguruza. “You mean Guadalajara, Mexico, right, not another Guadalajara?” “Oh my God. I have to make it.”
Muguruza suddenly like a kid in Disneyland. She can’t pinch herself enough with her I’m in Mexico I love it here smiles, with her words and speeches in spontaneous overflow Spanish. Her great victories at Wimbledon and the French Open were nothing like her victory in Guadalajara. Garbine sensed or remembered or somehow channeled her years as a child in Venezuela. What it felt like to embrace a community of family and friends. What it felt like to be embraced.
Here’s a link to Mugurza’s victory speech from the Tennis Channel. The first half is in English. The second half is in Spanish.
Artist Bio: (taken from his website at killerblind.com) Jack Bunds began painting after an art collector convinced him that despite being color blind, he could do so successfully. Jack has spent over 40 years on television, mostly in sports and that is where he draws much of his inspiration. He has been on national networks: FOX, ABC, ESPN, TNT, TBS, USA, CNN, TBS, Weather Channel, Tennis Channel, and HBO. Jack still announces NCAA basketball games. You can check out his many paintings, primarily of sports scenes, here on his website.
To get weekly posts every Thursday with original art and innovative writing on tennis, please subscribe below:
Happy to announce that this blog has been named one of Feedspot’s top tennis blogs, websites & influencers of 2022.