Garbiñe Muguruza has high praise for her teammate David Ferrer after spending the week with the soon to be retired Spaniard.
“I was so excited to play with David. In Spain we all admire his fighting spirit,” said Muguruza. “Actually I’m learning so much this week. I’m just like staring at him and talking to him—I think he’s a great mentor.”
Ferrer capped off an entertaining week with a win over Lucas Pouille in three sets on Friday. He is expected to retire at home, at the Madrid Masters this season.
“It’s going to be the last matches in my career and I try to enjoy every point that I play,” said the Spaniard.
Muguruza went 1-2 in singles at Perth, losing in three sets to Angelique Kerber and falling to Ashleigh Barty in straight sets before defeating Alizé Cornet on Friday. The good news for the Spaniard is that her leg injury appears to be nothing serious.
She left the court after three games during her win over Cornet on Friday and returned to win the match.
"I work hard, as well with matches and the whole week. So, today I was a little bit tired. I just felt a little pain in my quad and I thought, you know what, protect it a little bit," she said. "I kept fighting and kept playing."
Unseeded at Sydney, Muguruza is slated to face Carla Suarez Navarro in the first round.