Garbine Muguruza announces tennis retirement on eve of star-studded Laureus awards in Madrid
Spanish player officially announces end to a sporting career that included Grand Slam wins at Wimbledon and Roland-Garros
Tennis
Ahead of the 2024 Laureus Awards in her home nation, Spanish tennis player Garbine Muguruza has announced that she has retired from the sport.
The two-time Grand Slam winner revealed the information at a press conference on Saturday (20 April) ahead of Monday's award ceremony in Madrid’s Palacio de Cibeles.
"My story has been fantastic,” Muguruza said. "The time has come to say goodbye. I have come this far.
“My story in this sport has been very good. I have achieved many dreams that I had as a child. I have made my story fantastic.”
“The word retired sounds very strong because I am still 30 years old, but it has been 25 years since I started playing tennis in which I have achieved so much.
The 30-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals in women's singles at the the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021, and doubles at Rio 2016, has not played since February 2023, and will become a Laureus Ambassador.
The Laureus Awards honour the most inspirational sporting triumphs of the year and showcase the work of Laureus Sport for Good.
The programme currently supports more than 300 programmes in over 40 countries and territories, helping children and young people overcome violence, discrimination, and disadvantage in their lives.
Over the last 20 years Laureus Sport for Good has raised more than €150m for the Sport for Development sector and, together with our partners, reached and helped change the lives of almost 6m children and young people.
Sports stars including Lionel Messi, Novak Djokovic, Simone Biles, and Mikaela Shiffrin will all be up for awards at the 2024 edition.
In the seven main award categories, the nominees were selected by over 1,300 members of Laureus' global media panel, while the International Paralympic Committee also voted on the final nominees for the World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.
The award winners will be announced at a ceremony in Madrid, Spain, on Monday 22 April 2024. Follow the coverage on Olympics.com and @Olympics social handles.
Full list of nominees for 2024 Laureus Awards
- Laureus World Sportsman of the Year 2024 nominees: Novak Djokovic (Serbia, tennis); Mondo Duplantis (Sweden, athletics); Erling Haaland (Norway, football); Noah Lyles (USA, athletics); Lionel Messi (Argentina, football); Max Verstappen (Netherlands, motor racing)
- Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year 2024 nominees: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain, football); Shericka Jackson (Jamaica, athletics); Faith Kipyegon (Kenya, athletics); Sha'Carri Richardson (USA, athletics); Mikaela Shiffrin (USA, Alpine skiing); Iga Swiatek (Poland, tennis)
- Laureus World Team of the Year 2024 nominees: Europe Ryder Cup team (golf); Germany men's basketball team; Manchester City FC (Great Britain, football); Red Bull Racing formula one team (Austria); South Africa Springboks (rugby union); Spain women's football team
- Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year 2024 nominees: Jude Bellingham (Great Britain, football); Linda Caicedo (Colombia, football); Coco Gauff (USA, tennis); Qin Haiyang (People's Republic of China, swimming); Josh Kerr (Great Britain, athletics); Salma Paralluelo (Spain, football)
- Laureus World Comeback of the Year 2024 nominees: Simone Biles (USA, artistic gymnastics); Sébastien Haller (Côte d'Ivoire, football); Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Great Britain, athletics); Siya Kolisi (South Africa, rugby union); Jamal Murray (Canada, basketball); Marketa Vondrousova (Czechia, tennis)
- Laureus Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability 2024 nominees: Simone Barlaam (Italy, para-swimming); Danylo Chufarov (Ukraine, para-swimming); Diede de Groot (Netherlands, wheelchair tennis); Luca Ekler (Hungary, para-athletics); Nicole Murray (New Zealand, para-cycling); Markus Rehm (Germany, para-athletics)
- Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year 2024 nominees: Rayssa Leal (Brazil, skateboarding); Caroline Marks (USA, surfing); Kirsten Neuschäfer (South Africa, sailing); Bethany Shriever (Great Britain, BMX racing); Filipe Toledo (Brazil, surfing); Arisa Trew (Australia, skateboarding)
- Laureus Sport for Good Award 2024 nominees: Bola Pra Frente (Brazil), Dancing Grounds (USA), Fundación Rafa Nadal (Spain); ISF Cambodia; Justice Desk Africa (South Africa); Obiettivo Napoli (Italy)