Most tennis players choose to spend some time away from the sport once they hang up their racquet. But for Garbine Muguruza, taking on the role of tournament director of the WTA Finals just a few weeks after she announced her retirement from tennis was a no-brainer.
The former world No 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion hadn’t played a professional match for over a year before she officially shared news of her retirement in a press conference at the Madrid Open in April.
When the WTA and Saudi Tennis Federation came knocking on her door shortly after, offering her the position of tournament director for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, she immediately accepted.
The Spaniard says the 15 months she took between her final match and her retirement announcement helped her “digest everything” and by the time she broke the news to the world, she felt like she was already on to the next chapter of her life.
“It was unexpected, this opportunity. I wasn’t expecting it,” Muguruza told The National in a recent interview ahead of theWTA Finals, which kick off at King Saud University this Saturday.
“I’m so honoured that the WTA thought of me in that way, that they have trusted me with this responsibility; to me it’s a very big deal, just to move from tennis to another perspective, of making events.”
Understanding the industry
Muguruza, who won the WTA Finals in Guadalajara in 2021, has shared a locker room with most of the players that will be competing in Riyadh next week.
The tour believes that close connection between Muguruza, 31, and her former peers can help enhance player experience at this year’s edition.
“I think the players are going to be comfortable to talk to me. That’s really something that is different this year, having a familiar face they can rely on and make them feel safe in a way,” she explained.
For Muguruza, getting to know all the ins and outs of what it takes to stage an event of this magnitude has been eye opening.
“I’m shocked with the amount of work and how they take every detail. When you’re a player you don’t realise any of this,” said the Wimbledon and French Open winner.
“You’re like a horse [with blinkers], just concentrating. But I’m really learning so much [about] the industry, the business of sport. That’s very important to me because I do want to understand every concept.
“I’m very excited, it’s such an opportunity. When they told me, I said immediately ‘yes’. It’s a new project, it’s a new market. I couldn’t wait to start.”
Muguruza has made multiple trips to Riyadh since taking on the tournament director role, participating in various community engagement activities.
Last month, just 10 days before her wedding, Muguruza joined WTA Community Ambassador Judy Murray in a series of tennis clinics dedicated to kids, teachers, and coaches.
“I’m noticing that tennis is not a very strong sport in the country. I think it’s going to now go through a bit of a shake up with all the tournaments and all the activities and the influence,” said Muguruza.
“Hopefully through the tournament, the people can be more influenced to play some tennis and to be motivated.”
Feeling like a ‘rookie’
When Muguruza told reporters she was retiring, she looked calm and at peace with her decision, despite the fact she didn’t know exactly what she was going to do next.
Many players struggle to dissociate their identity from their profession, and when they retire it gets harder to understand themselves without the sport they dedicated their lives to.
Muguruza took her time navigating those feelings, and came out the other side feeling excited.
“I don’t think I dropped a single tear in the whole process,” she recalls. “It’s weird because I’ve been playing tennis since I have memory and I identify myself as a tennis player, forever and ever, and I will always be. But there is a time for everything, there’s a chapter for everything.
“It’s always scary to take decisions, to see what’s next, to go into the open world. I’ve always been accustomed to my little sports world, tennis world, so what now? Everything is new, you feel like a rookie in everything, that’s something that I keep feeling all the time.
“But it’s good, it’s exciting. At the beginning I was doubting a little bit, like, 'what’s going to happen?' But it quickly faded away because I was like, ‘Wow, I’m starting a new chapter, I’m so young’, and now I’m just learning about different things and let’s just try and give it a chance. I’m doing so many little different things, it’s very exciting.”
‘Hungry to learn’
Not much has surprised her about life away from competition. She thought she would perhaps get bored without the constant travel and hectic schedule, but somehow that hasn’t been the case.
“I’m so happy to be home with my partner [now husband], my mum, my dad, my brothers, I want to get a dog. I didn’t know what to expect. Maybe I would be bored at home. Maybe I’d like to travel again, but so many opportunities came quite quickly and that fulfilled me so quickly. Like, OK, I have so many things to do, let’s go; I’m so ready and hungry to learn,” she says.
Muguruza married her partner Arthur Borges on October 5 in an intimate ceremony in Spain. She laughs when asked her if she was nervous in the build-up.
“So many people asked me, are you nervous? I’m like I will never be nervous in my life,” she said. “I’ve been so nervous playing finals, nothing can compare to Wimbledon and French Open finals, I’m zero nervous. This is so easy in comparison.”
In order to handle the pressure of the big stage during her playing days, Muguruza came up with unique offseason activities that challenged her both mentally and physically.
While most players flew to the Maldives the moment their season was over, Muguruza, especially later in her career, channeled her inner daredevil. In 2019, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. In 2020, she chose military training with Spain’s Civil Guard, jumping from helicopters, cave-diving, and trekking mountains on search and rescue missions.
She says seeking out those adventures helped her mentally in the seasons that followed.
“I definitely needed something extra. I needed something that will disconnect everything from my mind, that I will not be thinking about the tour, about the rankings, about the schedule, about nothing,” she reflects.
“I wanted to do something with adrenalin, something that will make me feel like I will get out of this experience stronger. I’m going to come out of this trip feeling invincible. I definitely wanted to recharge that part of me, that adventure side, that determination.
“Because it’s tough on the tennis tour, you get the doubts, the ups and downs, I was like, 'I need to recharge this, I need to feel like, let’s go'.
“So not every year, but I definitely felt in certain years that I need to feel strong again, let’s do something crazy.”
Not long after summiting Kilimanjaro, Muguruza reached the 2020 Australian Open, the fourth Grand Slam final of her career. She lost in three sets to Sofia Kenin.
“I definitely felt that I was stronger. Especially my trip to Kilimanjaro, I am 100 per cent sure that I did that Australian Open final because I did that trip. That gave me invincible energy,” Muguruza said.
“Even though I lost the final, even though I was sick. It was a crazy tournament, how it started, how it ended. But that gave me perspective of, OK, there are tough things, but there is also the toughest thing. It’s hard to play a tournament, but it’s also hard to climb something and to be out there, and to do things that are also for yourself.
“Not only for the trophy, for the picture, for the money. This was just a spiritual recharging thing. I think that definitely helped me so many times after, to succeed in tennis.”
Muguruza acknowledges the tennis schedule is unrelenting and can be taxing but she says she never complained about that aspect of the tour.
“Personally, would I have stayed longer [in the sport] if it were different? No, I don’t think so because I never complained about the tour. It is what it is, we have so many opportunities, you can also make your own schedule. You don’t have to be forced to play all the tournaments,” she explained.
“It’s great to have so many tournaments, so many opportunities for players who are not top 50, not top 10. And after you can make your own schedule.
“I don’t think there’s a reason to complain. I think it’s the opposite. It’s great. You make your own schedule and you know your own capacity. Especially if you’re winning a lot of matches, you’re like, OK, maybe I should relax here, maybe I should go harder here.”
Drawing inspiration from Serena and Sharapova
Muguruza is only just starting her post-tennis career and isn’t sure where life will take her. She knows she would love to work with kids in some capacity and also doesn’t rule out coaching someday.
“I don’t know when or how. I’m not ready for what it requires to be a full-time coach, absolutely not. But being part of a team is just so amazing and I’d love to feel that again one day,” she said.
Retired stars like Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have been enjoying great success in the business world by investing in numerous ventures and are examples of how to follow a great sporting career with an equally impressive business one.
“It’s so interesting to see what paths people take, because it can be very different. Normally people stay around the world of sport but having Maria and Serena, I always looked up to them so much. Even though we shared the court, they’re a little bit the older generation. I always follow them, I can’t wait to see what’s next for them,” said Muguruza.
“They’re being so successful in different ventures. I obviously would love to be as successful outside of the court than on the court, but it’s yet to see what it’s going to be. I’m just starting.”
Reflecting on Guadalajara
At the moment, Muguruza’s efforts are strictly focused on the WTA Finals, which will be held from November 2-9 in Riyadh.
Muguruza has fond memories of her own from winning the tour’s season finale in Guadalajara three years ago. Muguruza was born in her mother’s native Venezuela before she moved to Spain at the age of six.
Getting to lift the WTA Finals trophy in Mexico meant a great deal to the Caracas-born Spaniard.
Reflecting on her incredible run there, Muguruza said: “It all started in the US Open. Because I was in the US Open and I saw [then WTA CEO] Steve Simon and I was like, ‘Steve, when and where is the Finals?’ Because it was still unknown.
“And he said to me, ‘You know Garbine, there’s a big possibility that it’s happening in Mexico’. And I was like, this is it, this is it, this is my tournament, no one else's. It’s happening for the first time ever in Latin America, I have to make it.
“I didn’t start very well but the support that the people gave me, the crowd cheering for me, being there, I played so well in Mexico. I was so happy that there was a representation of tennis in Mexico, a big tournament.
“And as the only Latin player out there in the Finals, I was like, this is my opportunity, I have to somehow win this thing. The crowd and just being there helped me so much to bring out the best of me.”
When asked to look back on her professional tennis career and describe what legacy she hopes to have left behind, Muguruza doesn’t list any of her titles.
“I never thought of what would people remember me by. Hopefully [being] explosive, happy personality, even if on the court I wasn’t smiling a lot. I think I’m very different on court than outside the court.
“Just a beautiful story, being Latin and just the journey of achieving your dreams, becoming world No 1, starting in a place that no one would have ever thought. That’s what I want to be remembered by.
“Yes, winning Wimbledon, that’s great and everything, but how someone can achieve their dreams by being ambitious and believing. I think that’s my definition.”
“Hopefully someone [in Saudi Arabia] gets inspired, like I did,” she added with a smile.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
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When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
