"It was a pleasure to share these years with you" - Paula Badosa, Carlos Alcaraz, Ons Jabeur and other players react to Garbine Muguruza's retirement

Paula Badosa, Carlos Alcaraz, Ons Jabeur, and others have reacted to Garbine Muguruza's retirement.

Muguruza decided to take an extended break from tennis following her disastrous start to the 2023 season, which saw her lose four successive matches. At the time, she did not specify when she would return. The former WTA World No. 1 was quizzed about her comeback earlier this year, but she said that she had no intention of returning.

Recently, the two-time Grand Slam winner announced her retirement at a press conference in Madrid.

"I wanted to say that it is time to say goodbye. It has been a long and beautiful career. A career full of anecdotes and moments. I could speak about so many of them, but I am feeling that it’s time for me to retire & open a new chapter," Muguruza said.

Following the 30-year-old's announcement, farewell messages poured in for her on social media. Paula Badosa wrote a heartwarming tribute for the Spanish-Venezuelan, highlighting Muguruza's importance in shaping her career and for Spanish tennis in general.

"You were the mirror where I looked at myself since I was little. Thank you Garbi for giving so much to Spanish tennis. It was a pleasure to share these years with you. Happy life, you deserve it," Badosa wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Carlos Alcaraz also chimed in, urging Muguruza to enjoy her retirement after calling time on an illustrious career.

"Congratulations on your great career! Enjoy everything that comes now," Alcaraz wrote.

Ons Jabeur, Elina Svitolina, and Barbora Strycova also congratulated the 30-year-old.

"Congrats on an amazing career," Jabeur wrote on Instagram.

"Congrats!!! All the very best for next chapter," Svitolina commented.

"Congrats Garbine!! What a career you had," wrote Strycova.

Ons Jabeur, Elina Svitolina, and Barbora Strycova congratulating Garbine Muguruza after she announced her retirement

Last but not least, Simona Halep also bid farewell to Muguruza.

"Wishing you all the best and congratulations for your beautiful career," Halep wrote on Instagram.

Simona Halep's Instagram post featuring her farewell message for Muguruza

Garbine Muguruza's biggest achievements in tennis

Garbine Muguruza (L) and Venus Williams (R) during the trophy presentation ceremony at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships

Muguruza's singles Grand Slam titles at the 2016 French Open and 2017 Wimbledon Championships were undoubtedly her greatest achievements as a tennis player. However, the Spanish-Venezuelan also marked her time in tennis with other significant feats.

For instance, despite her fourth-round loss at the 2017 US Open, she became the 24th women's player to become the WTA World No. 1 in singles. This was due to Karolina Pliskova, who held the top spot before Muguruza took over, losing to CoCo Vandeweghe in the 2017 US Open quarterfinals.

In 2020, Muguruza narrowly missed out on her third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, as Sofia Kenin got the better of her in three sets. The following year, she won the prestigious year-end WTA Finals after defeating Annet Kontaveit in the final.