Petaling Jaya
World No. 6 Carolina Marin of Spain is ready to use next week’s Malaysian Open as part of her build-up towards the World Championships in Nanjing from July 30-Aug 5 as she aims to become the women’s singles world champion for a third time.
The 24-year-old Marin has not taken part in any tournament since she clinched her fourth European crown in April to prepare thoroughly for her world title assault.
The 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist won the world title in 2014 Copenhagen and 2015 Jakarta editions but crashed out in the quarter-finals in Glasgow, Scotland, last year.
“I spent the last two months preparing for the World Championships. I want to win it again more than anything else,” said Marin after a Spanish La Liga promotional event where she’s the ambassador.
And she hopes to get the ball rolling by doing well at the Malaysian Open starting on Tuesday at Axiata Arena. She has won the Malaysian Open once in 2015.
Last year, she was involved in a 86-minute epic battle with Taiwan’s world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying before losing in the final.
“I reached the final last year, I certainly would love to give it another go. Together with Indonesian Open (the following week), these are very important tournaments for me,” she said.
Marin admitted she struggled to stay motivated after winning the Olympics. She also had to deal with a nagging thigh injury after the Rio Games.
In the last 20 months, she won one Superseries title, the Japan Open last September and lost her world No. 1 status.
However, Marin, said she was slowly getting back to her 2015 form when she won her second world title and five Superseries titles.
“After winning everything, it’s really hard to find the motivation. And it also didn’t help with some injuries I faced. But, I’m in my best condition now and I feel like I can start conquering again,” she said.
“I need to set goals to stay relevant – and that’s why I want to win the world title this year.”
Meanwhile, Marin, had the chance to put her cooking skills on display alongside local celebrity chef Anis Nabilah Umaruddin, Kelly Siew and Dalnor Zachary during a promotional event yesterday.
“I love cooking, but I just don’t have the time for it. My favourite dish is Moussaka (a Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean eggplant and potato-based dish),” said Marin, who is also rooting for her nation to win the ongoing World Cup in Russia.
“We had a bad start but drew (3-3) against Portugal. The Spanish people have a lot of faith in this team. We are going to win it,” said Marin, who is a Barcelona fan.
