Local girl does good
Garbiñe Muguruza is a young Spanish-Venezuelan tennis player that has been tagged as a future top prospect for a few years now. Born in Caracas to a Venezuelan mother and a Basque father, Garbiñe left Venezuela in 1999 when she was six years old (coincidentally, the first year of the Chávez era). In Spain she developed her game, and while she plays for father’s country, she sees herself as coming from both.
Today, Garbiñe beat the great Serena Williams at Roland Garros. It was probably the biggest ever win on a tennis court by a Venezuelan (or ex-pat Venezuelan) player. Williams is number one in the world, was the odds-on favorite, and the defending champion. Garbiñe just obliterated her. Here are the highlights:
Garbiñe talks like a Spaniard and she plays for Spain, but she has a Venezuelan look about her que no se la brinca un venao.
Part of me thinks that it’s great that she got out of the country, developed her game, and is now in the cusp of stardom. Had she stayed in Venezuela, she would probably be a beauty queen, perhaps dancing the conga in a football stadium. Or maybe she would be one of the brave students risking life and limb in the pursuit of a future.
Instead, she is fulfilling her dream, doing what she was put on Earth to do. Like so many others, she had to leave in order to do just that.
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