By Adrianna Outlaw | Tuesday, February 21, 2017
"I'm quite disappointed, because they are very important tournaments, Doha and Dubai together, especially here this year," Garbine Muguruza said.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Garbine Muguruza was forced to step out of her Dubai opener after suffering a left Achilles injury today.
The reigning Roland Garros champion trailed Kateryna Bondarenko, 1-4 when she pulled the plug and withdrew.
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Muguruza, who took a medical timeout for treatment after losing three consecutive games at the start, said she initially started feeling the pain playing back-to-back matches in Doha last week.
"When I finished in Doha, because of the rain, a lot of people played two matches, including me," Muguruza told the media in comments published by WTATennis.com. "The second one was very tough, and I remember that as soon as I went after the match to my room, I started to have a pain in my left achilles. The next morning was even more painful.
"I have been carrying this since that day. And here, I have been training but on and off, honestly, because of the pain. Some days it was a little bit better, some days it was a little bit worse. It was just hard for me to serve, especially, and to just move side to side today on the court."
The seventh-ranked Spaniard says she hopes to recover in time for Indian Wells next month.
Muguruza has managed just one victory in her last three Indian Wells appearances, including an opening loss to Christina McHale last March.
"I'm quite disappointed, because they are very important tournaments, Doha and Dubai together, especially here this year," Muguruza said. "I feel kind of like I didn't play enough, you know? My next stop is Indian Wells, and I will try my best to be ready there."