“Big a Forte”: Garbine Muguruza Raises Concerns for Australian Open 2021

After almost a two-month-long offseason, the 2021 WTA season will begin at the Abu Dhabi Open from 5th January. The two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza will kick off her season at Abu Dhabi before heading for the 2021 Australian Open.

The WTA 500 tournament will feature most of the top-ranked players in the world. With the qualifying rounds underway, the main draw will start on Wednesday. During the pre-event press conference at WTA Abu Dhabi, Muguruza was asked whether she was concerned about anything before the Australian Open.

Going to be mentally tough: Garbine Muguruza

The World No.15 remarked she wasn’t concerned but feels it would be mentally hard to play under the strict protocols. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, players will have to quarantine inside the hotel premises.

“I’m not really concerned, I think you’re doing an incredible job putting all these together and making a whole swing in Melbourne and is a big a forte, so I’m not really concerned, I think he’s just going to be you know, mentally tough to go through all the protocols and all the you know, the little details because nothing comes easy right? Now you have to go through a lot of things and testing and being in the room and all of this kind of stuff. That’s what I have to kind of prepare to the rest. It’s natural being in competition.” said Muguruza.

Having won her last title at the 2019 Monterrey Open, Muguruza will aim to end her title drought at Abu Dhabi Open and find her top form before heading the first Grand Slam of the year.

After the completion of the tournament, Muguruza will travel to Melbourne in mid-January for the Australian Open, which is scheduled from February 8. As per the health authorities, players will have to adhere to a two-week mandatory quarantine but will be allowed to train for five hours each during the quarantine period.

At the 2019 Australian Open, Muguruza reached the final but lost to Sofia Kenin in a grueling three-set battle. Post the tour’s resumption in September last year, she crashed out of the US Open in the second round and got ousted in the third round from the French Open.