Garbine Muguruza was named best Female Spanish Athlete of 2017 in a special ceremony in Barcelona last night.
The Spaniard joined compatriot Rafael Nadal as being named the best Spanish athlete of 2017. Muguruza won Wimbledon and Cincinnati as well as becoming only the second Spanish female to become world number one. The two winners of last night’s award also became the first pair to be world number ones at the same time from the same country since 2003.
“I’m so happy to be here for the first time, and to receive such a beautiful recognition for such a great year is something very emotional,” Muguruza said after receiving her award at the 70th Mundo Deportivo.
“I am very proud to be nominated for this award. It’s a reward for the hard work.”
The two time grand slam champion also recognised the quality of Spanish tennis right now, “I think it has been great in the last years, Rafa is always great and last year we also coincided as World number ones. This is great for Spain and something that is undeniable with other countries.”
The Spaniard also addressed her physical status as a result of her poor start to the 2018 season, “I feel much better; I had a few scares in Australia, which are part of the job, but the truth is that I am feeling much better now.”
Muguruza’s next tournament is in Doha, where she joins a stellar line-up as the tournament starts on Monday.
