How Garbine Muguruza is shaking things up on and off the court

After a quiet first week on court at the French Open, the second week started with a fearsome noise. The perpetrator was Garbine Muguruza, the percussive sound was the countless backhand winners that seemed to shake Court Philippe Chatrier with every strike and the victim unwittingly caught up in this showing of brutal strength was poor old Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The match between Muguruza and Kuznetsova presented by far the most intriguing fourth round matchup across both draws. Not only did showcase a clash of generations between the aspiring queen of the next generation against the endless talented veteran of Kuznetsova. But also, both women arrived on court looking ready to rediscover their very best levels.

As they left the court, however, the significance of the meeting was revealed in one singular vignette, rather than the entire match, as Muguruza delivered the statement performance of the championships thus far, defeating Kuznetsova 6-3 6-4.

For an hour and a half, seemingly every Muguruza strike elicited pained winces from the crowd in empathy with the poor ball. Her serve, not always the weapon it should be for someone of her stature and game style, painted the lines and set up so many opportunities to pull the trigger. Her backhand is best described in a series of fire emojis as it had the final say in so many important points and slammed all opportunities shut. And although Kuznetsova served a sky high 71% of first serves, the only memory she’ll retain from her service games during the match is the whizz of the ball as Muguruza’s returns constantly flew past her.

Despite the quality of the performance, perhaps the most significant aspect was what happened in the short interlude between the streams of Muguruza winners. Up 6-3 3-1 and break point on Kuznetsova’s serve, Muguruza masterminded another violently constructed point that set up an easy smash for a double break lead. She then shanked the smash into the crowd. She lost the game. Three games later, the first break had evaporated and the match stood at 4-4.

Instead of panicking and melting down further at the sight of her first errant period of the day, Muguruza did what theoretically sounds so easy yet is the measure of any player that wishes to go far. She took a deep breath, she composed herself and she widened her margins. Muguruza rallied her confidence back for a few points and when she found Kuznetsova’s second serve once again, she thundered three brutal returns in a row to take the game and move up to serve out the match.

This moment was far from a crisis, but the immediate self-correction was a measure of her confidence and an example of the mental state necessary to continue progressing through the rounds with the intention of fighting for the trophy at the end. After her struggles at the beginning of the year, the return to her favourite surface and the site of some of her best performances have seemingly brought it all back.

The performance on Philippe Chatrier was a statement that needed to be made after an incredibly poor opening four months to 2016, in which her words and her attitude were discussed more than her tennis. After a wildly successful end to 2015 in which Muguruza followed up her Wimbledon final and established herself as a top-five player, her season before her Rome semi-final was best told as a series of inconsistent, dispiriting losses complicated by a chronic foot injury.

Off the court is the only place Muguruza has intrigued. Since reaching the Wimbledon final, Muguruza has gone through pains to present herself as apart from the rest of the players. She constantly stresses her individuality and she infamously claimed that most female players hate each other. Even when she used to practice and compete successfully in doubles with her countrywoman Carla Suarez-Navarro, she claimed she had no friends on the tour.

The topic was revisited in Paris as some of the top ATP players convened on the court before the tournament began. When asked about the women, for some reason, Muguruza once again decided to take an extreme stance on such an irrelevant subject.

“No. No. I don't ever see really top 10 women practicing with each other. Maybe, but it's rare. I think we like to practice more with sparrings maybe. But it's rare, rare to see,” she said.

An hour later Simona Halep, one of the least sociable top players around, arrived for her press conference and was asked the identical question. The Romanian quickly reeled off a list of the prominent players she enjoys practicing with on the tour.

Though not fundamentally bad, these interventions paint Muguruza in an interesting light. While the brand of power tennis favoured by the Spaniard and so many other players from her generation stems directly back to the legacy of the Williams sisters, it’s clear that since finding success, Muguruza has constantly attempted to comport herself in an identical manner as Maria Sharapova. She is not the only player of her generation to do this, but it irritates some and seems unnecessary and pointless in a sport in which the only recipe to success is to be damn good, to be mentally strong and to work hard.

Muguruza’s performance against Kuznetsova is a reminder that she is a fine tennis player, which is what should be the main concern. And even if her consistency isn’t enough this year, her third consecutive quarter-final in Paris suggests that her affinity with the clay, the city and tournament make her a solid bet to lift the title someday. Especially with those booming backhands.