World No5 Garbine Muguruza has her feet firmly on the ground

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  • Garbine Muguruza.

    Garbine Muguruza insists being one of the world’s top players has not changed her and the Spaniard is aware that maintaining her position will be no simple task.

    Muguruza, seeded No2 in Dubai this week, made a meteoric rise in the rankings last season thanks to her runner-up showing at Wimbledon and she knows she often has a target on her back at the bigger tournaments.

    The world No5, who made the semi-finals in Dubai last year and opens against either a qualifier or Elina Svitolina on Wednesday, is not putting much expectation on herself regarding this new season and while she has been getting lots more attention due to her results, she confirms it has not changed her.

    “I think not at all. I am just the same girl. I don’t think changing is going to help me. I have seen some examples of people, especially when you are young… it is very hard to keep that level,” said the 22-year-old.

    Muguruza, who played with a foot problem at the Australian Open in Melbourne last month, where she lost in the third round to Barbora Strycova, says the injury has healed and that she currently is playing with “no pain”.

    The Venezuelan-born Spaniard believes she has one big take-away from that clash with Strycova.

    “I kind of learnt a lot from that match. I didn’t play well. I just felt kind of blocked that day. So just have to find resources to be able to not go in that position because sometimes I am like, ‘hey, I feel the pressure’. I have to deal with that. So I just got to find a way not to go through that,” she explains.

    Muguruza has embraced the pressure that comes with being a top-five player and has many times expressed how much she relishes competing on the world’s biggest stages.

    She had a breakthrough moment in 2014 when she beat Serena Williams at the French Open en route to the quarter-finals then lost to the American in the Wimbledon final a year later.

    “Well, I think it is a lot of things to deal with sometimes, but I would not change this position,” she says on being part of the game’s elite.

    “I think it is a great place to be… to be up, to play good, to be seeded. So even though sometimes you feel more pressure, you have more expectations, not only me but also a lot of people, it’s just something that you have to deal with. When you go more up, it’s getting worse, so I think it is just part of the job.”

    The absence of Williams and world No2 Angelique Kerber from Dubai following their last-minute withdrawals has bumped up Muguruza’s seeding in the draw but that has not given her any false security regarding her position in the tournament.

    “Sometimes when you play the first rounds, and not the top players, people think you have to win, but actually that’s the day you lose. So for sure, in the draw it changes, the seeding and everything, but I think every match is very tough, since the beginning until the final,” said Muguruza.

    Kerber was a shock winner over Williams at the Australian Open final last month and Muguruza finds it an inspiring achievement especially considering the American is an astonishing 21-5 in grand slam finals.

    “Yes, definitely,” Muguruza says when asked Kerber’s win gives her more belief.

    “I think Serena is still dominating, but if you see this kind of result, when someone who was not a favourite at all in that match, goes there and wins, I think, not just for me but all the players to believe that it’s not impossible to beat Serena in a final. So I think it is good for the tour to see.”

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