Muguruza: I don’t have a lot of expectation

Garbine Muguruza has established herself as the favourite for the US Open after her latest tournament triumph.

The Spaniard won her first title on North American soil with a commanding victory over Simona Halep in the Cincinnati final on Sunday, following on from her second Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon.

Muguruza has won 25 of her past 31 matches, but sounded a warning in the face of rising excitement about her US Open prospects.

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“The US Open is a very long tournament,” she said. “It’s completely different. I’m just trying to play well.”

It’s for good reason Muguruza is treading carefully when discussing her chances at Flushing Meadows.

The world No.3 has never thrived in New York, failing to get beyond the second round in four visits. Whereas she’s lifted the trophy at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and reached the second week the last three years running in Australia, the US Open is her worst-performed Slam – by a considerable margin.

But with the stars aligning for a memorable run at the year’s final Grand Slam event, the last thing Muguruza wants to do is flop.

So, a change of mentality is in order.

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“Honestly I think I’m going to stop trying to fix it (my problems in New York),” she explained on the WTA Insider podcast.

“I’m just gonna go out there … I’m happy to be in New York, it’s a very special place. It takes a lot of energy, of course, because it’s noisy, it’s 24/7. But I’m just gonna go out there and just be calm, and play as freely as I can, and forget that the last years it didn’t go my way, and just maybe this year it is my year. Who knows?

“I feel like I don’t have a lot of expectation with New York, because every time I have a little bit, it holds me a little bit back, so I’m just gonna go out there from zero. Forget about what happens previous years, it’s a new tournament.

“I’m gonna see what can I do this year, and that’s all.”