Missing out on the calendar year Grand Slam last year by losing in the semi-finals at the US Open, Williams had been shocked by Angelique Kerber in the final of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Advertisement
The Venezuelan-born Spaniard becomes the first Spanish woman to win the French Open since 1998.
While it did help her to win 30 of her next 31 major matches to complete a second “Serena Slam” at last year’s Wimbledon, where she beat Muguruza in the final, the lessons were not enough to carry her over the finishing line on Saturday.
“I’m not one to ever make excuses and say, like, ‘Oh, my adductor was hurting or whatever'”.
“She has a bright future, obviously”, Williams said.
The pair exchanged breaks in the first set before Muguruza pushed on for another break and win the set 7-5.
But Williams dismissed the idea that her pursuit of Graf affected her play. It’s a tournament that I’ve always wanted to win.
Williams failed to add to her 21 major titles since beating Muguruza at Wimbledon past year and remains behind Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22.
The Frenchman says she has the “desire” to do more and he’s optimistic about her chances.
“Thanks to my coach, Patrick”.
The final sequence of Garbine Muguruza’s first Grand Slam title could not have better represented both the triumph and the challenge of triumphing against Serena Williams in the ultimate round of a slam.
“Garbine played unbelievable”, Williams said. What happened?’ When he said, “Game, set, and match”, I was like, ‘No way. “She is a fantastic player, we need her”.
For her coach Sam Sumyk, it is his third Grand Slam title after previously coaching Victoria Azarenka to her two Australian Open titles in 2012 and 2013.
The victory caps off a two-year rise up the ranks of women’s tennis, which started with the 22-year-old Spaniard upsetting the American in the second round of the French Open in 2014.
When the new WTA rankings come out Monday, Muguruza will move up from No. 4 to a career-best No. 2, with only Williams ahead of her. Her game works on grass because she is very aggressive, she hits the ball hard and goes for her shots.
Muguruza maintained her composure though and ultimately converted on her own serve with a magnificent lob before falling to the clay in celebration.
I can’t explain with words what this day means to me, and that for Spain and for me this is just awesome.
“I have been saying during the whole week (my objective was) to be less emotional, to believe more that I’m here because I deserve my place here”, said Muguruza, who announced her talent by handing Williams her heaviest slam loss here two years ago.
“I think I’m ambitious”.
The Spaniard demonstrates the same sort of determination on a court that she observed in Williams and her sibling, hitting hard groundstrokes, aiming for lines, taking risks that bring real rewards.
After winning her maiden grand slam title in Paris, Muguruza vows to not buckle under the pressure of expectation moving forward.
“You know what I thought?” “I wanted to win here, I wanted to be the champion, so I tried to put that aside, just concentrate on my game and go for it, forget that it was Serena Williams in front of me”.
Advertisement
With former American world No 1 and all-round trailblazer Billie Jean King presenting the trophy, the stage had been set for Williams to claim her fourth grand slam title and join Steffi Graf on the Open era record of 22 grand slam titles.
