French Open Champ Garbine Muguruza the Heir Apparent to Serena Williams’ Throne

Tears forecast Garbine Muguruza’s championship pedigree. 

Last year, after losing to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final, Muguruza retreated to her chair and started crying. Unlike many other young players who suffer defeat to one of the greatest of all time, Muguruza was feeling none of that “just happy to be here” stuff. 

Instead, she sobbed. Holding the runner-up trophy was not in her plans. Muguruza knew she had championship talent. 

Williams is 12 years older than Muguruza. Williams has been playing professional tennis for two decades and dominating the WTA Tour for the past four years. Contenders and pretenders have come and gone. But this 22-year-old Spaniard looks like the real deal, an heir apparent.  

Muguruza defeated Williams 7-5, 6-4 to win the 2016 French Open. It’s her first Grand Slam title, but it’s probably not her last. 

On the heels of Williams winning four Grand Slams in a row, Muguruza becomes the third consecutive first-time Grand Slam champion. 

However, unlike the wins of 2015 U.S. Open champion Flavia Pennetta and 2016 Australian Open Angelique Kerber, Muguruza’s victory feels like the beginning of something special. Pennetta had already decided to retire before she won her title. Kerber is 28 and closer to the end of her career than the beginning.

Muguruza has already been to two Grand Slam finals. Most importantly, she checks off all the boxes needed for rule the WTA.

Big serve? Check. Big body? Check. Aggressive game? Check. Killer instinct? Check? Mental toughness? Double check.

Called “Muguruthless,” by some, the 6-foot, 161-pound Spaniard turned the tables on Williams. In a relatively evenly played match, Muguruza played the big points better.

After the win, her coach, Sam Sumyk, told the Associated Press (h/t ABC News) about her mental toughness. 

“I’m convinced that she was panicking a bit inside, that the fires were burning, but she managed that part and those moments well. For a coach who is watching that, it’s magnificent. … She has extraordinary mental …

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