Dubai: A medal at the Rio Olympic Games, preferably alongside her favourite player Rafael Nadal, is on Spaniard Garbine Muguruza’s mind as she set her goals for the 2016 season.
Muguruza had an amazing season last year where she went on to cement her place as the world number 3 at the year-end rankings and became the first Spaniard since 1996 to end in that position. While much of the hard work had been done in the first half of the year – a semi-final in Dubai and the quarter-finals at Roland Garros – it was the second half of the season that mattered most in her meteoric rise in the rankings.
The 22-year-old blazed her way to her first Grand Slam final in Wimbledon, where she fell to top seed and world number one Serena Williams. She signed off the later part of the Asian swing while making the final at the Wuhan Open and then winning in Beijing.
Muguruza now wants to be focused on the Olympic Games in Rio later this summer, where she has been tipped to play in the women’s and mixed doubles (alongside countrywoman Carla Suarez Navarro and Nadal).
“Firstly, I am so excited about the Olympics. It will be my first and we [Suarez Navarro and she] will play a couple of tournaments during the year in doubles and the rest I don’t know. I don’t know anything about the mixed doubles. I know some people are talking about it. So we will just see at the last moment I guess,” Muguruza confessed at a media interaction ahead of Dubai Duty Free Championships. “Yeah, just looking forward to go there and bring something (medals) to Spain. Playing mixed doubles with Nadal would be amazing. I will be so nervous but I don’t know if it is going to happen, but I am thinking about it definitely,” she smiled.
Questioned about the rampaging Zika virus which is threatening to derail the Games, the Spaniard said: “Well, I think if they continue doing it [Olympics], it’s because it’s not going to affect us. I know if it is something dangerous for us, they will not do it. So if they continue planning the Olympics, I guess we will be fine,” she added.
For the moment, the youngster is keen to get her momentum going in this week’s competition in Dubai. “It always feels good when you come back to a tournament you have played well. It gives you good memories and kind of confidence that you can play well. I am looking forward to playing here,” Muguruza added.
