Garbine Muguruza: is she healthy enough to defend her French Open title?

Garbine Muguruza is dealing with injuries. Traveling, meeting people and entering tournaments, illness and especially injuries are part of the sport.

Internazionali BNL d’Italia, a tournament commonly known as the Italian Open, happens every year during the ATP/WTA tour. It is a highly prestigious clay court event with exquisite scenic attractions to see.

Garbine Muguruza was not able to fully enjoy the competition in Rome.

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It was at the semifinals of the event when Muguruza developed a neck injury when playing Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. It wasn’t even a half hour into the match that she called for her personal trainer and finally a doctor at the Foro Italico Arena in Rome.

"Even Svitolina became a bit concerned of her retirement and says “I just want to wish a fast recovery to Garbine, she has such a big tournament ahead in Roland Garros which is very tough…hopefully she will recover quickly”."

This wasn’t the first time that Garbine had to retire this year from a match.

"“In Brisbane, I had pain…In Australia, I had pain. I’m tired of feeling that”, she said disgustingly."

But again the next month in February, she called it quits at the 2nd round of Dubai because of a left achilles injury she sustained a week before. She was losing 1-4 in the first set to Kateryna Bondarenko in the opening match in Dubai. Muguruza confessed that the injury she really felt during her serve and moving side-to-side.

"“I’ve been carrying this since Doha”, she’d said. but it was unfortunate that due to a long rain delay, she had to play two matches in one day. The first match was tolerable for Garbine, but she says the second one was tough for her to play and says. “I remember that as soon as I went after the match to my room I started to have a pain in my left Achilles… The next morning was even more painful…I don’t think it’s something really big, but it’s really bothering me every time I have to run on the court”."

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In the Miami Open fourth round, Muguruza and Caroline Wozniacki were playing and after the first set, a tiebreaker, Garbine retired. This time though it was a heat-related illness. In 2016, she’d had a sprinkle of injuries when she had to retire in the 2nd set of a second round with Varvara Lepchenko due to a left foot ailment. There was heel pain, a recurrence of her food condition plantar fasciitis.

"No matter the injury or ailment, Muguruza tries to keep positive saying “I’m not really worried because I felt it a lot, so it’s really necessary to do a lot of treatment and to keep it from getting worse?”"

Garbine Muguruza’s health issues are present but she knows that now is the time to get full therapy to heal and be ready for the upcoming French Open. This is especially true with her possibly defending her title. Will she heal in time? Will the ailments be contained until after the French or will she have to retire again without showing the entire talents that Garbine Muguruza has shown especially when she let’s her racket do the talking?

Stay tuned to see how the action at the 2017 French Open unfolds.

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