Garbiñe Muguruza says her victory at the WTA Finals proves she can be one of the best players in the world.The 28-year-old, who beat Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in straight sets, is the first Spaniard to ever win the prestigious season-ending event.The number six seed battled back from a break down in the second set to win four games in a row and claim the 10th WTA title of her career.
Muguruza is the only player to defeat Kontaveit in the last months and has now done so twice at the same tournament. Kontaveit was on a run of 12 straight victories before playing the Spaniard in her final match of the round-robin stage but lost to the former world number one on that occasion as well.This win marks the perfect end of the year for Muguruza, who had started 2021 in scintillating form –– reaching the final in Abu Dhabi and winning in Dubai. Though her performances in this year’s Grand Slams were underwhelming, this end of season victory will see her climb to third in the world rankings next week and pocket a healthy $1,570,000.ENTER GIVEAWAYSpeaking after her victory against Kontaveit, the Spaniard admitted she had struggled at the start of the tournament but rediscovered her best form thereafter."Right now I feel extremely happy and relieved because it's a tournament that I've struggled at the beginning, then I managed to play well," Muguruza said "I think I'm staying composed a little bit now because it means really a lot to me to win such a big, big, big tournament, the [WTA Finals] in Latin America, here in Mexico. I think it's just perfect.”

There have often been questions over Muguruza’s ability to compete consistently with the world’s best. In her last 13 Grand Slams, the 28-year-old has passed the fourth round only once –– though she did make the Australian Open final in 2020. But this victory solidified the belief that the Spaniard can still do it on the biggest stage and produce some of her best tennis.

"I'm just very happy I proved to myself once again I can be the best. I can be the maestra [teacher], like how we say in Spanish. That puts me in a very good position for next year, a good ranking....It's just the payoff for such a long year. My team and I worked hard. It pays off. [It] just shows us that we're doing the right way.

"This trophy, like right now, these are the best feelings. Not even the ranking. Just to actually touch this and take it home, it's in the story, it's in my curriculum. It's the way of, like, 'I did it.'"