Garbine Muguruza is currently on an indefinite break from tennis, and compatriot Paula Badosa has spoken highly of the two-time Grand Slam champion.
In an interview with Spanish outlet El Pais, Badosa discussed extensively on a wide range of topics, including tournament scheduling, her relationship with ATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas, and the current squabble between the WTA and the players.
Badosa also talked about former World No. 1 Garbine Muguruza in high regard. According to her, Muguruza has been a "reference" as someone she's always looked up to and worked to model her game to that of her compatriot.
Muguruza won two Grand Slams (French Open and Wimbledon) in addition to other prestigious WTA trophies like the WTA Finals. Badosa placed the 30-year-old in the same bracket as some gaudy names in Spanish women's tennis like Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
Recently, Muguruza shocked the tennis world claiming that she had "no intention" of returning to the tour. She has played four matches this year and chose to shut down her season just when it started in January after a run of four straight defeats.
For Badosa, it's been "sad" to see a player she has idolized step away and make such strong statements. But she stated that her countrywoman "earned the right to do whatever she wants" having achieved pretty much everything in the sport.
"Garbine Muguruza makes me very sad because for me she has been a reference. I loved how she played and I wanted to be like her. I would really like her to be here now, with us (for the Billie Jean King Cup), because I think we could do anything with a team like that, but things are what they are. I see she’s very happy and enjoying herself, something that didn't happen when she played."
"In the end, she is a player who has achieved absolutely everything, the best Spanish player along with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez, so she has earned the right to do whatever she wants."
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