I’m an ex-Wimbledon champion and world No1… now I’m retiring from tennis to marry fan who asked me for a selfie
TALK about giving it your best shot.
That’s exactly what one plucky fan did when asking for a selfie with a Wimbledon champion – and it proved an ace as they’re now preparing for their wedding day.
Garbine Muguruza thrashed Venus Williams in the 2017 final at the All England Club, adding her Wimbledon crown to the French Open title she collected the previous year when she beat Venus’ sister Serena.
She lost two further Grand Slam finals – at Wimbledon to Serena in 2015 and then to Sofia Kenin at the Australian Open in 2020.
But former world No1 Muguruza announced her retirement from tennis this weekend.
The injury-plagued Spanish star, 30, had already taken an extended break from the sport and decided against making a comeback.
Part of her reasoning behind the initial hiatus had been to spend more time with loved ones.
And now she has officially hung up her racket, Muguruza can put extra time into planning for her upcoming big day.
The Venezuela-born ace met her fiance in heartwarming fashion.
Arthur Borges was in Central Park in New York in 2021 when he spotted the tennis star and approached her, politely asking for a photo together.
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Borges is a model and was in the Big Apple while working for luxury designer brand Tom Ford.
Muguruza explained: “My hotel was close to Central Park and I was bored, so I thought I should go for a walk.
“I go out and I run into him on the street.
“Suddenly, he turns and says, ‘Good luck at the US Open.’
“I was left thinking, ‘Wow, he’s so handsome.'”
Borges – who was born in Spain but raised in Finland – proposed in May 2023 in Marbella and their upcoming nuptials are set to take place close to the beach in Spain.
The 2021 WTA Finals winner Muguruza added: “He’s a mix, like me. I’m half-Venezuelan and half-Spanish, so we understand each other.
“We share that feeling of being citizens of the world.”
Muguruza earned just shy of £20million in prize money on the court – helped along the way by coach Conchita Martinez – and was a popular player on the tour.
Speaking about calling time on her career, she said: “If 25 years ago, when I started hitting my first tennis balls, someone had told me that I would become a professional tennis player, that I would fulfil my dream of winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, that I would become number one in the world and win the WTA Finals, I would have thought this person was crazy.
“Tennis has given me a lot in this first part of my life.
“It has been a fantastic journey in which I have experienced unique situations.
“I have travelled all over the world and experienced many different cultures.
“I’m tremendously grateful to all the people who have helped and accompanied me throughout this chapter, because without them I would not have been able to get here.
“I have grown and matured in a very different way than what can be considered normal, and now I am ready to start a new chapter in my life.”