It is difficult to feel good after a defeat – especially a tight one – but if there was ever a loser that deserved to leave a tournament with her head held high it’s got to be Garbine Muguruza.
The Spanish world No3 went 3-0 in her White Group matches on her WTA Finals debut but fell to Agnieszka Radwanska 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-5 in the semi-finals on Saturday in what was two hours and 38 minutes of sheer battle.
– Singapore: Kvitova to face Radwanska for WTA Finals title
Playing for a seventh consecutive day in Singapore due to her singles and doubles duty, Muguruza ran out of steam against a tireless Radwanska, who entered the match with a 0-4 record against her opponent in 2015, but left the court a Singapore finalist.
Muguruza fought back from 1-4 down in the first set and 1-4 down in the tiebreak, and also climbed from 0-4 in the deciding set before finally surrendering. From the start of the second set, it was clear the 22-year-old was running on fumes.
“I think in the first set like I kind of gave it my all, and then it was hard for me to start the second one,” said Muguruza, who was trying to become the first Spanish woman since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1993 to make the final of the WTA Finals.
“But, well, I just wanted to give everything I had, and doesn't matter how long I was going to be able to keep it. I just went out there, and if I die on the court, I die, but at least I go out from there happy.”
And she has every right to be. Muguruza has been hogging the headlines throughout the Asian swing – she made the Wuhan final and won Beijing before her Singapore exploits – and back home, she has been the bigger story, not her legendary compatriot Rafael Nadal, a player whose spirit she greatly admires.
“I don't want to be like a boring tennis player,” admits Muguruza, who has claimed 10 victories over top-10 players this season, more than any other woman in 2015.
“I know Rafa has an amazing spirit on the court and outside the court, so I' definitely would like to be like this. I don't know if I am like this, but I think a little bit, yes. I have this Spanish, you know, inside that makes me be like this.”
Muguruza is proud of how she turned her slump after making the Wimbledon final into a strong finish to the season. Asked what she learned about herself this year, the Venezuelan-born Spaniard said: “I learned that I'm able to, in the bad situations, to calm down, and clear my mind and start from zero.
“I learned that I'm more strong than I thought in these moments. This year is going to be a great experience for me. Hopefully can help me next year, especially in the tough moments that I've lived this year, to go through. Yeah, all the matches that I play, all the emotions, just it's not going to be new maybe for next year.”
A silver lining for Muguruza was that she won her doubles semi-final with Carla Suarez Navarro later on Saturday night to set-up a final clash with the top-seeded pair of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza.
