Former Wimbledon champ and world No1 MARRIES fan after he stopped her in park to wish her ‘good luck’
A FORMER Wimbledon champion and world No1 has married a fan who stopped her in a park to wish her “good luck”.
Garbine Muguruza was approached by Arthur Borges in a freak meeting at the US Open in 2021.
The Tom Ford model spotted the Spanish tennis ace and they immediately fell for each other.
Borges got down on one knee and popped the question during a romantic trip to Marbella in May last year.
And now, just months after her retirement from tennis, they have tied the knot.
Approximately 90 guests were invited from all over the world – including from Los Angeles, Miami, Sweden, Finland and Dubai – with Muguruza’s former coach Conchita Martinez and ex-doubles partner Carla Suarez Navarro among them.
The ceremony in Marbella last weekend was conducted in four languages – Spanish, English, Swedish and Finnish.
Muguruza – who celebrated her 31st birthday on Tuesday – told HOLA! in Spain: “It’s a total movie.
“I was inspired by the golden age of Hollywood, by those dresses worn by Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, which are elegant and beautiful and flattering.
“I knew I would marry him even before he asked me.
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“When we met, it was love at first sight and we realised very quickly that we were an ideal couple.
“Even though he hadn’t told me anything, I imagined Arthur dressed like that, because I knew he was going to go traditional.
“He looked gorgeous. When I saw him at the altar I thought, ‘Oh, my man is so handsome’.”
Muguruza previously opened up on the first time she set eyes on her future husband in New York.
It is understood they even took a selfie together which is framed in their house.
She explained: “My hotel was close to Central Park and I was bored, so I thought I should go for a walk.
“I go out and I run into him on the street.
“Suddenly, he turns and says ‘Good luck at the US Open.’ I was left thinking, ‘Wow, he’s so handsome.’
Wimbledon ditching line judges a double fault for British tennis
By Joshua Jones
THE absence of line judges at Wimbledon will be a sad sight.
For as long as I can remember, the men and women decked out in their Ralph Lauren outfits have been part of the furniture at the All England Club.
Yes, they provided some mild entertainment on the court when one would call “fault” with plenty of extra, and unnecessary, gusto and volume that boomed around Centre Court, prompting a snigger from the fans.
Then there was the ongoing game of dodgeball they had to play when a big serve nailed a mammoth ace down the line and they had to take rapid evasive action or take a whack to the top of the head.
And challenges provided some audience participation, excitedly joining in the clapping countdown before the inevitable “oooh” when the graphic showed just how close the ball was to landing in or out.
Purely objectively, Wimbledon’s decision to replace line judges with Hawk-Eye Live makes total sense.
The accuracy and consistency of calls in real-time will speed things up, save time and should mark the end of arguments over the tight incorrect calls – well, until the technology malfunctions.
And Wimbledon’s hand was somewhat forced to ditch tradition for their standing in tennis.
The Australian Open and US Open already use electronic line calling and the ATP Tour is adopting Hawk-Eye Live across all of its tournaments from 2025.
Wimbledon’s refusal to comply would leave them lagging behind and exposed to the threat of needless controversy over human error.
But the impact – as is so often the case in these decisions – has ramifications further down, below the surface with very little impact on Wimbledon’s Championships or the players.
It is on the line judges themselves.
Approximately 300 officials – aged from 18 to 80 – covered more than 650 matches at Wimbledon.
A fraction travel internationally with the circuit but the vast majority of those are part-time line judges based in the UK, earning up to £180 per day to work at the prestigious tournament and their chance to play their part at Wimbledon.
For many, they will help out at British tournaments throughout the year, spurred on by the possibility of taking to the lawns of the All England Club.
But it is understood many of those officials would be reluctant to work at the lower-level tournaments without the carrot of Wimbledon dangling in the summer.
That in turn will put a major stumbling block in the pathway for British tennis umpires, who grind up through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Like football with referees, tennis needs umpires and line judges.
So the inability to call “out” at Wimbledon could prove to be a major “fault” for the future of the UK’s tennis officials and therefore the state of the sport on these shores.
“He’s a mix, like me. I’m half-Venezuelan and half-Spanish, so we understand each other. We share that feeling of being citizens of the world.”
Muguruza thrashed Venus Williams in the 2017 final at the All England Club, adding her Wimbledon crown to the French Open title she collected the previous year when she beat Venus’ sister Serena.
She lost two further Grand Slam finals – at Wimbledon to Serena in 2015 and then to Sofia Kenin at the Australian Open in 2020.
But former world No1 Muguruza announced her retirement from tennis this year.
The injury-plagued Spanish star had already taken an extended break from the sport and decided against making a comeback.
Part of her reasoning behind the initial hiatus had been to spend more time with loved ones – and can now enjoyed married life with her new hubby.
However, she remains involved in tennis as the new tournament director for the WTA Finals, the end-of-season event for the top eight players in Riyadh in November.