Garbine Muguruza has been inactive from the WTA tour for over a year, and speculation of her imminent retirement is rife following reports of a press conference later Saturday.
Muguruza is one of the best female Spanish players of her generation. She won two Grand Slams, one at the 2016 Roland Garros (defeated Serena Williams) and the other at 2017 Wimbledon (defeated Venus Williams).
Her last Grand Slam final appearance was at the 2020 Australian Open, where she lost to Sofia Kenin. She bounced back the following ear, winning three WTA titles, including the prestigious WTA Finals in Guadalajara.
Since the start of 2022, her form has taken a massive downturn. She finished that year with a 12-17 record. Things went from bad to worse as Muguruza opened her 2023 campaign with four straight defeats before electing to take an indefinite break from the sport.
Her last tour-level match was in Lyon at the end of January 2023, where she lost to Czech teenager Linda Noskova. During her tennis hiatus, Muguruza parted company with coach Conchita Martinez, who is credited with fueling her renaissance from the start of the 2020 season.
Martinez has since landed the job of interim coach with Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva. The two-time Grand Slam champion also used her break to announce her engagement to her boyfriend, Arthur Borges, whom she has been dating for two years.
Muguruza, who will celebrate her 31st birthday later this year, has previously stated that tennis is not part of her routine anymore and that she has no intention of returning to the sport.
Earlier this year, she shared a sneak peek of herself holding a tennis racket while vacationing in Mauritius, although this was only part of a commercial partnership with Spanish management company LUX.
And now, Spanish radio Carrusel Deportivo is reporting that Muguruza will hold a press conference on Saturday at 4 p.m. local time to give details about her tennis future.
Despite Muguruza recently floating the idea of representing Spain at the Paris Olympics in late July, several tennis fans are already speculating that she will announce her official retirement from the sport. It is believed that the Spaniard has started wedding plans, scheduled at an unconfirmed date later this year.