(Tennis news) Spanish tennis player Garbine Muguruza has announced her intention to take an extended break from the sport and will miss out on the clay and grass season. The former Wimbledon winner has only played four times in the past year and has not featured on tour since January which resulted in the 29 year old slipping to 132nd in the world. She was World Number 1 in 2017 and was ranked third in 2021 but had a lacklustre season last year, failing to progress beyond the quarter-final of any tournament. 

Muguruza won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2016 and secured the Wimbledon title in 2017. Speaking about the break, Muruguruza said “Spending time with family and friends and it’s really been healthy and amazing, so I am going to lengthen this period till summer.” Meanwhile at the Charleston Open in South Carolina, former world number three Elina Svitolina lost to Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-4 in two hours and 46 minutes. 

Speaking after the match, Svitolina said “I had goosebumps. It was a really, really sweet atmosphere out there. It was so nice to see many people, and they were really cheering me on to push through some tough moments. It was not easy physically for me today, but in the end, I’m really happy with the way I played. Now, I can see more clear what I need to improve to be better. I think I’m hitting the ball well. I just have to work more on my fitness. I think a few bits here and there are going to help me to keep the focus more consistently, to be there in the moment.”

Also read: Daniil Medvedev defeated Jannik Sinner to win the 2023 Miami Open