TENNIS
Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza reveals how she found love at the US Open in New York
The Spanish-Venezuelan star, a former world number one, is enjoying life off the court after extending her tennis hiatus.
The love story between tennis star Garbiñe Muguruza and businessman Arthur Borges could well be the inspiration for a Hollywood movie script. An elite-level sportswoman, in the midst of preparing to compete in a big tournament, goes for a relaxing stroll to clear her head in New York’s Central Park. There, she meets an attractive young man who recognises her, presumably “from the TV”. Less than two years later, wedding bells are ringing.
Muguruza’s US Open love story
That is exactly how the pair met in August 2021, as the two-time Grand Slam champion was enjoying some down time while gearing up for the US Open at Flushing Meadows. While on her walk through what must be the world’s best-known park, which we’ve seen time and again on the big screen, Borges wished her good luck for the tournament. Without knowing it, that was the moment Muguruza had met her future husband.
Fast forward 21 months and the lovebirds announce that they are getting married in a tell-all interview with Spanish-language magazine Hola!, in which the tennis star reveals just how tough it is to find love when you’re constantly travelling.
Arthur Borges’ magic words to Garbiñe Muguruza
“He came along at the moment I least expected it (...). I go out and our paths cross on one of those streets and suddenly he turns round and says: ‘Good luck at the US Open’. I kept thinking, ‘what a handsome guy’. And from then on, we connected and we went for walks in Central Park every day. It was very romantic. It was really love at first sight,” she claims.
Muguruza even remembers the clothes they were both wearing: she was in jeans, while he had a suit on. Borges, an executive director at Tom Ford, didn’t pass up the opportunity to ask for a “shy fan” photo, which they have framed as a reminder of the moment they met.
The fairytale start to their relationship shows no sign of coming to an end, as proved by Borges’ marriage proposal. “I was doing a couple of work things in Marbella and he asked me at the Marbella Club hotel, which is one of my favourites”, explains the 2016 French Open champion. “He had arranged for a little table to be set up for us under a tree (...) and when he proposed I started crying, I didn’t know how to react.”
Spain “the right place” for a wedding
Nearly two years after their chance meeting, the couple have agreed that choosing the perfect place to get married is of utmost important to them. Which could have been tricky for Muguruza, who was born in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, has a Basque father, lives in Geneva, Switzerland and whose fiancée has Finnish blood. It seems, though, that she has already made up her mind. “I like good weather, I want it to be in summer and sunny, I want to be close to the beach and I want to be in Spain because it is the right place. It’s the one that unites us the most as well”.
Why did Muguruza take a tennis hiatus? When will she play again?
Muguruza, who also won Wimbledon in 2017, last played competitive tennis in February and announced on Instagram in April that she would be taking an extended break from the sport.
“Spending time with family and friends is really healthy and wonderful, so I’ll be extending this phase into the summer and missing out on the clay and grass season. Thanks for the lovely messages and will be updating you guys”.
No further updates have come as yet but it seems as she’s thinking more about her wedding plans rather than how to improve her backhand at the moment.