Game, set, match: Garbine MUGURUZA trades tennis for Zumba in unexpected retirement

Garbine Muguruza will not be returning to tennis after all with the former World No.1 and two-time Grand Slam champion announcing her retirement from the sport at the age of 30 after a year of inactivity and no desire to return to the sport.

Muguruza's press conference was announced in Spanish media yesterday which got onlookers wondering if she was either set to return or halt her career and it is the latter. Winning the French Open and Wimbledon in 2016 and 2017, she ascended to the top of the world rankings in 2017 and won 10 career titles in singles.

After winning the WTA Finals, returning to the top 10 and being Year End No.3 in 2021, Muguruza slumped in form after winning in Guadalajara barely able to string a win together in 2022. She fell out of the top 50 and seemed to need some time away from the sport to reset. Amid others including Ashleigh Barty who retired and also Amanda Anisimova who took a break due to fatigue, she was part of a number of tennis stars in the WTA to halt her career and take a hiatus.

But as 2023 rolled on after she lost to Linda Noskova at the Lyon Open, the likelihood of this happening continued to diminish. She got engaged to long-term boyfriend, Arthur Borges who was a fan of the Spaniard and met her at the US Open. As well as taking up instructing Zumba and said on multiple occasions that she had no intention to return to the WTA Tour in both October and also early 2024. This move as a result comes as no surprise with Muguruza seemingly not having any hunger to return to the tennis court after a pretty steep decline towards the end. She did give fans some hope being pictured on a tennis court again on social media, but mere weeks later this has been debunked with this retirement announcement.