Martina Navratilova delighted by Garbine Muguruza's meet-cute with fiance Arthur Borges

Martina Navratilova has expressed her delight for Garbine Muguruza after learning the Spanish tennis star's story of how she got engaged to a fan she met during her stint at the 2021 US Open.

Muguruza, who holds two Grand Slam titles, surprised her fans when her engagement news poured over the social media handles in the last few days.

She was, apparently, miles away from even anticipating the possibility of finding a life partner before meeting her fan Arthur Borges, a model working for the fashion label Tom Ford at the time.

Telling her story, Garbine Muruguza highlighted that she was startled by her fan's looks when he walked up toward her. The duo first met outside her hotel where Arthur Borges wished her the best of luck for her 2021 US Open before asking her to pose for a selfie with him.

“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.’” quoted Garbine Muguruza.

After their unforeseen meeting, the pair's romantic onset began when they kept bumping into each other and regularly started taking walks together. Eventually, Borges proposed to Garbine Muguruza after he got down on one knee during their getaway in Marbella, Spain.

“It felt weird. I was thinking of something else and then when he proposed I started crying. I didn’t know how to react. I said yes in the midst of tears, it was very romantic,” spoke former Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza.

Following up on her engagement news, Martina Navratilova congratulated the duo with a Twitter post on Thursday, writing:

"How Sweet! Congrats to you both:)"

In an interview with Hola, Garbine Muguruza also revealed that she shares her mix-nationality trait with her fiance. She further mentioned that she will tie the knot with Borges on a beach near Spain in 2024.

Despite decimating Venus Williams' challenge at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships final and subsequently finishing the season as World No. 1, Muguruza's form has seen a significant drop in recent years.

The two-time Grand Slam champion's ranking has drastically dipped and is now at World No. 132. Muguruza's latest WTA participation was witnessed at the 2023 Lyon Open. Since then, the 29-year-old has been missing in action from the tour and her comeback chatter has been seemingly slim.

Garbine Muguruza to pass up on clay and grass court events this season

Day Twelve: The Championships - Wimbledon 2017

Former Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza has meanwhile announced she will not partake in any clay and grass court events of the ongoing 2023 season.

Muguruza stated her intention wanting to spend healthy time with her family and friends and assured her fans to keep them posted with any latest developments.

"Hey guys what's going on. Spending time with family and friends and it's really been healthy and amazing so I am going to lengthen this period till summer, therefore I am going to miss clay and grass season. Thanks for all the lovely messages and will be updating you guys," wrote Muguruza on her Instagram story.

The former World No. 1 has been largely absent from the WTA Tour since her last participation in the WTA 250 event at Lyon in January this season. After experiencing an early exit from the tournament, Muguruza withdrew from upcoming events in Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai.