Garbine Muguruza is refusing to listen to the voice inside her head telling her she can be a champion at Roland Garros.
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Muguruza, who shocked Serena Williams en route to the last-eight last year at the French Open, admits she felt pressure coming into this year’s event, knowing she had done so well in 2014.
But the big-hitting Catalonian looked unfazed against a tricky Flavia Pennetta yesterday, beating the Italian 6-3, 6-4 to set-up a quarter-final today with Lucie Safarova, the conqueror of Maria Sharapova.
“It’s true that you have to believe you can (win the tournament), because if not there is no point. So in the back of my brain I have ‘oh, maybe you can win’.
“But there are a lot of matches to play, and a lot of big names. I saw the match today a little bit with Sharapova and Safarova, and it was tough. It’s going to be difficult.”
Muguruza, 21, knows how to show up for big matches and on major courts and she’s been receiving some helpful advice from three-time Roland Garros champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who bumped into her at the players’ restaurant this week.
Can she believe it?? Watch as @GarbiMuguruza celebrates her straight-sets R16 victory over #Pennetta. #RG15 https://t.co/M3gWk36AKF
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2015
“She was explaining to me when she was my age, saying that you have to control your life outside the tennis – it’s very important.
“She was telling me about that. Because, in the court is where you know what to do, but the problem is outside. Just like typical advice from like a mother.”
She insists the pressure isn’t off now she has defended her points from last year and that she is determined to go at least one better.
“Yesterday I was thinking about when I made the quarters last year and I told myself ‘come on, this year you have to do it better’.
“Last year I was really excited and everything was new. This year I’m trying to concentrate and use this chance more than last year.”
Ana Ivanovic will take on grand slam quarter-final debutante Elina Svitolina in the other women’s match taking place today.
Ivanovic leads the young Ukrainian 6-0 head-to-head and will be playing in the last-eight here for the first time since she won the title in 2008.
