"The more she has been criticized, the more she has reaffirmed herself" - Muguruza speaks on Serena Williams

Serena Williams has been referred to as an "iconoclast who has broken all the moulds" by former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza.

Serena Williams said goodbye to the US Open and her stellar career that spanned a quarter century after losing to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic on a memorable night in New York. Due to this, Garbine Muguruza recently discussed Serena Williams' retirement and her impact on the tennis world in an interview with the Spanish newspaper EL PAIS.

"She is a controversial woman who, when she does something, she does it full throttle," said Muguruza paying tribute to the way she handled her career:

"She grows in the face of adversity: the more she has been criticized, the more she has reaffirmed herself. She’s become stronger, more groundbreaking and more rebellious. She is an iconoclast who has broken all the molds."

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Garbine Muguruza proceeded by acknowledging that Serena Williams' decision to retire from tennis caused her to cry.

"I must confess that recently, after reading the news of her retirement, I shed a few tears. I cried when she told us she was retiring, which is very rare for me. Somehow, her goodbye has shut down something inside me; something was extinguished" admitted Muguruza further stating:

"When she announced that it was time to evolve and take the next step, which is only logical and perfectly fine, I thought: No, Serena’s leaving! Now what? Now who’s going to be the one to really lead tennis, to be an unmatched role model that we can look up to? Who will take on the legend’s mantle? That’s how much she means to me."

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