Wiser, Worldlier Muguruza Seeks Calmer New York Experience

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Wiser, Worldlier Muguruza Seeks Calmer New York Experience

By Chris Oddo | Monday August 21, 2017

The good news for <a href="https://www.tennisexpress.com/garbine-muguruza-tennis-equipment" target="_blank">Garbiñe Muguruza</a> ahead of this year’s U.S. Open? She only has second-round points to defend and will have a shot at reaching No.1 in the world with a good performance. More: <a href="http://www.tennisnow.com/Blogs/NET-POSTS/August-2017/Safarova-Becomes-the-35th-WTA-No-1-in-Doubles.aspx" target="_blank">Safarova is the WTA's New Doubles No.1</a> The bad news? She’s never been past the second round in her four previous appearances at Flushing Meadows—not exactly confidence inspiring, even for a two-time major champion that will enter the draw on the heels of winning the Western and Southern Open and having claimed 16 of 18 matches since Wimbledon began. After crushing Simona Halep in the Western and Southern Open final on Sunday Muguruza told WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen that she’s going to approach the Open with no expectations. That’s something new for her. “I'm going to stop trying to think about it,” she told Nguyen. “I feel like I'm going to try and not have a lot of expectations with New York. Every time I have a little bit, it holds me a little bit back. I'm just going to go out there from zero. Forget about what happened previous years. It's a new tournament.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Podcast Up! Champions Corner: <a href="https://twitter.com/GarbiMuguruza">@GarbiMuguruza</a> doubles up <a href="https://twitter.com/CincyTennis">@cincytennis</a> and steels herself for New York. <a href="https://t.co/0LB5hBsIVx">https://t.co/0LB5hBsIVx</a> — WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) <a href="https://twitter.com/WTA_insider/status/899403682114043904">August 20, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Last year after falling to Anastasija Sevastova in the second round at New York, Muguruza said she “didn't feel silence at any moment. It was continuously a noise.” This year she’s hoping that experience helps her deal with the intensity of the New York pressure cooker better. With a second major under her belt, and consistent results throughout the hardcourt summer to back it up, it seems logical that Muguruza would break the New York hex and make a run. The 23-year-old Spaniard is in a different place these days, having learned from experience that winning a Grand Slam isn’t necessarily a magic potion that makes the game of tennis easier to play, and matches easier to win. “I felt when I won French Open, you know, that was going to help me to win matches just because I won, or I could play like that the next tournaments,” she said on Friday at Cincinnati. “You know, your mind is in a different situation. This time I'm not expecting to play like I played in French Open every tournament, you know. I'm not expecting, just because I won Wimbledon, I'm going to win Cincinnati. It doesn't work like this. I'm working hard to be able to perform that and not believing that it's going to be just there, you know, not [taking it] for granted.” Muguruza adds that she’s worked hard to be able to win matches even when she isn’t in lights-out form. It made a difference in Cincinnati, where she saved three match points against Madison Keys to reach the semifinals. “I think my medium level is higher than it was before,” she told Nguyen after taking the title on Sunday. “I like that I give myself chances to play the matches that I want. I always like the semifinals and finals -- everyone loves those rounds -- but you have to get there.” Heading into the U.S. Open as the favorite, Muguruza will look to embrace the journey—and hopefully make it last.