Diversions, as far as they go, are some of the best medicines for the mundane and stressful life that ails you.

Maybe that explains why sports fans around the world become enraged when politics and subjects of real life ugliness invade into their fantasy world.

As of this July 2017 writing, there are a lot of ugly issues penetrating the fantasy armor of even the most ardent Venezuelan sports fan so you can imagine their collective sigh of joy when their native daughter Garbine Muguruza won Wimbledon by defeating the eternal super star Venus Williams from the United States.

Venezuela’s current state of affairs are being reported upon on a daily basis.

On July 10, 2017 at huffingtonpost.com they chronicle, “These days, Venezuela is in the international headlines almost daily: food shortages, spreading hunger, people dying for lack of medicine, and soaring homicide rates.

Citizens demonstrate their discontent in the streets every day with blood, sweat and tears, as Nicolás Maduro’s increasingly unconstitutional regime clings to power.”

You can understand why so many were inspired and uplifted by Garbine’ ascension in the tennis world.

If she wasn’t demolishing opponents on the courts, she could be turning heads and mesmerizing the masses on the catwalk. She’s that statuesque and gorgeous.

Yet for some, Garbine is not a household name in the elite tennis world, but when you look at her recent accomplishments, this athletic beauty is truly in the upper echelon of professional female tennis.

Garbine is a Venezuelan-born Spanish professional tennis player, who turned pro in 2012.

Our sensation was born in Caracas, October 8, 1993 to a Basque father, José Antonio Muguruza, and a Venezuelan mother, Scarlet Blanco, and has two elder brothers named Asier and Igor.

She has dual Spanish-Venezuelan nationality.

She began playing tennis at the age of three and, after moving to Spain with her family in 1999 when she was six years old, training at the Bruguera Tennis Academy near Barcelona.

Sergi Bruguera, the Director of Bruguera Tennis Academy, is a former professional tennis player from Catalonia, Spain.

How time flies.

Back in the day we loved watching Sergi’s brash style and dynamic personality as he ruled as king on the clay courts.

He won consecutive men’s singles titles at the French Open in 1993 and 1994. As of 2016, he has won the most Grand Slam titles for someone not inducted to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Sergi is the only player to have a winning record against both Federer and Sampras. He won three of their five matches against Sampras.

No wonder Garbine is soaring.

Proof of her ascension is found on her resume.

She has won four singles titles, including two majors: the 2016 French Open, and the 2017 Wimbledon Championships. She achieved her career-high ranking of world no. 2 in 2016 after her French Open triumph, and is currently ranked world no. 5 by the WTA as of 17 July 2017.

Equipped with powerful groundstrokes and an aggressive game style, Garbine first came into prominence by reaching the last 16 of the 2014 Australian Open, where she scored an upset over former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki.

She then defeated Serena Williams in the second round of the French Open that same year, beating the then-world No. 1 in straight sets on her way to the quarterfinals.

Defeating one Williams sister for most would be a lifetime career achievement.

Defeating both sisters in a major finals championship during your career ensures that you will be a unique part of tennis history.

Given her incredible talent, her future will take care of itself.

It’s her present that has many talking. They can’t stop praising her.

The adoration top spins from around the globe.

At edition.cnn.com they are amazed. “Not many players could reel off nine straight games against a player of Venus’s distinction. Muguruza, though, did exactly that — only dropping one set and 44 games throughout the entirety of this year’s Wimbledon campaign.”

The well-respected theguardian.com was more direct. “A delighted Garbiñe Muguruza hailed her fighting spirit after coming through a tricky opening set against Venus Williams before running away with the second to claim her first Wimbledon women’s singles title.”

Smiling broadly the telegraph.co.uk shares, “Muguruza may represent the cream of the next generation, but there is something timeless about her. She walks like a leading lady, in a stately prowl, holding her head and shoulders back in the manner of a ship’s figurehead. And, like a silver-screen diva from the 1930s, Muguruza does not get out of bed for anything but the best.”

Garbine provides some of the best interviews in the sports world.  

One fan described her personality as sparkling. We would say friendly, candid and down to earth as well.

Certainly she has received some pointers from her current coach Conchita Martinez. Some of us fondly remember Conchita during her playing days.

Maybe Garbine does too.

She innocently stated with respect that as a child she was a fan of Venus Williams. That comment garnered some snickers in the press but it was all in good taste.

Father time can be tough but he can also have a sense of humor. Sometimes.

Conchita Martínez is a Spanish former professional tennis player.

She was the first Spanish player to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon, where she beat Martina Navratilova to win the 1994 title.

Ms. Martínez also was the singles runner-up at the 1998 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open. She reached a highest world ranking of No. 2 in October 1995 and finished the season in the top 10 for nine years.

She is currently the captain of the Spain Fed Cup team and the Spain Davis Cup team. Hence her current connection to Garbine.

Garbine is impressive and political and economic turmoil aside, so is her birth place of Caracas.

Caracas is the capital, the center of the Greater Caracas Area, and the largest city of Venezuela.

The city is located along the Guaire River in the northern part of the country.

The Distrito Capital had a population of 2,013,366 as of 2011, while the Metropolitan District of Caracas was estimated at 3,273,863 as of 2013. The Metropolitan Region of Caracas has an estimated population of 5,243,301.

The great travel experts at Lonely Planet can find the silver lining and best restaurant linen in any city. Caracas is no exception.

They smile with caution, “The city has a spectacular setting, with the jungle-clad mountains of the Parque Nacional El Ávila towering over it as well as some good museums and Venezuela‘s best eating options. Evocative fog descends from the lush mountains, keeping the city comfortable year-round, and chirping sapitos (little frogs) and crickets form a lovely evening chorus.

Safety, the single factor that prevents many from visiting, is a big concern, but if you keep your wits about you, ask locals before heading anywhere you’re not sure about and take taxis after dark, you should be fine. Caracas is a tough but fascinating place that won’t be for everyone, but which almost always impresses the few who make it here these days.”

More and more fans are starting to take notice of Garbine and the consensus is that they are very impressed.

With a place already etched in the history books with her connection to the Williams sisters, Garbine is talented and passionate about adding a few more thrilling chapters for us to savor.

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OPENING PHOTO fciwomenswrestling.com article, photo via tennisworldusa.org

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/inside-venezuelas-economic-collapse_us_59639090e4b085e766b5146d

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/venezuela/caracas/introduction

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbi%C3%B1e_Muguruza

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/17/sport/muguruza-williams-wimbledon/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/15/garbine-muguruza-wimbledon-champion-nervous-but-kept-fighting-venus-williams-tennis 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2017/07/15/venus-williams-vs-garbine-muguruza-wimbledon-2017-womens-final/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conchita_Mart%C3%ADnez

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/venezuela/caracas