For
Muguruza
it
was
never
a
question
of
if
she
had
the
game
to
be
back
among
the
elite
players,
merely
just
the
need
to
prove
so.

“I’m
just
very
happy
I
proved
to
myself
once
again
I
can
be
the
best,
I
can
be
the
‘maestra,’ like
how
we
say
in
Spanish,”
Muguruza
said.
“That
puts
me
in
a
very
good
position
for
next
year,
a
good
ranking.

“The
last
couple
of
years,
I
didn’t
play
the
same
way
I
played
before.
But
I
didn’t
play
bad
tennis,
either.

“I
was
just
here,
there,
not
going
into
the
deep
rounds
at
grand
slams
that
made
the
difference.
I
always
felt
I
had
the
tennis.
I
was
just
not
putting
the
battle
together.

“I
always
believe
I
[could
make]
finals
of
a
grand
slam,
[climb]
the
rankings,
I’m
like
‘I
have
the
tennis,
I
just
have
to
show
it’.
It’s
hard,
of
course.”

Now,
Muguruza
–
at
the
age
of
28
–
is
the
oldest
year-end
champion
since
Serena
Williams
seven
years
ago
and
is
up
to
third
in
the
rankings.

For
Muguruza
it
was
never
a
question
of
if
she
had
the
game
to
be
back
among
the
elite
players,
merely
just
the
need
to
prove
so.

“I’m
just
very
happy
I
proved
to
myself
once
again
I
can
be
the
best,
I
can
be
the
‘maestra,’ like
how
we
say
in
Spanish,”
Muguruza
said.
“That
puts
me
in
a
very
good
position
for
next
year,
a
good
ranking.

“The
last
couple
of
years,
I
didn’t
play
the
same
way
I
played
before.
But
I
didn’t
play
bad
tennis,
either.

“I
was
just
here,
there,
not
going
into
the
deep
rounds
at
grand
slams
that
made
the
difference.
I
always
felt
I
had
the
tennis.
I
was
just
not
putting
the
battle
together.

“I
always
believe
I
[could
make]
finals
of
a
grand
slam,
[climb]
the
rankings,
I’m
like
‘I
have
the
tennis,
I
just
have
to
show
it’.
It’s
hard,
of
course.”