London: Wimbledon will naturally miss an old favourite with Rafael Nadal sidelined by injury. Yet Garbine Muguruza, armed with her sunny demeanour and blistering talent, seems perfectly happy and equipped to fill the void left by her great Spanish compatriot.

Donning a replica Spanish football team shirt and beaming the big smile that lit up Wimbledon last year when she reached the final, Muguruza did her bit on Saturday to remind everyone that Spain has a new superstar with the charisma to emulate Nadal.

Not that the new French Open champion could quite credit the fact that she was grabbing all the headlines back home rather than the man she idolised while growing up in Barcelona.

After Nadal pulled out of the French Open with the wrist injury that has now prevented him shooting for a third Wimbledon title, Muguruza flew the flag with her stunning victory over Serena Williams in the French Open final.

So entering Wimbledon, the Spanish media spotlight, usually beamed at Nadal, is trained completely on their 22-year-old Venezuela-born star.

"I thought about that the other day when I saw Rafa was not playing at Wimbledon," Muguruza said at a news conference on Saturday.

"For sure, people are looking more at what I'm doing, but I think that's fine. It's a good sign. I like it.

"I was so happy finally this year. I'm like I did better than Nadal in French Open! This is so weird!'"

Muguruza has to quickly get used to the fact that having a spectacular game to accompany a winning personality is a combination guaranteed to rocket her into the sporting elite. But she swears the Paris triumph has not changed her.

"Nothing really different. Maybe it's weird, but no... I know my task is cut out," she shrugged.

There's the chance to make her mark on the grass again, a surface that, like many of her clay court-loving compatriots, she once felt was only for cows. "A lot of people were saying 'I think you will play good on grass' and I'm like 'There's no way. I hate grass. I'm horrible'."