Newly crowned French Open champion Garbine Muguruza said she used Serena Williams' Australian Open final defeat as motivation in Saturday's decider.

Muguruza made history at Roland Garros, claiming her first grand slam crown thanks to a 7-5 6-4 win over the world number one and defending champion in Paris.

The 22-year-old Spaniard lost to Williams in last year's Wimbledon final but she gained revenge in straight sets, later revealing she was buoyed by Angelique Kerber's stunning win against the 21-time major champion in the decider at Melbourne Park in January.

"I thought about it [Kerber's three-set win]. I thought about it yesterday," Muguruza told reporters after plotting Williams' downfall. "I'm like, 'Come on. You can do it.'

"When you see people that are winning and there's new faces, it makes you think like, 'I can be one of those faces. I can be the one who - Hey, if Kerber can I can, or whoever is there.'

"For sure, it helps to see new faces."

On the new faces winning grand slams, Muguruza added: "For a long period of time we had the same players, like Serena. They were always in all of the grand slams.

"And I think it's incredible to see new faces and that the players know now that it's possible to win, to defeat Serena. It's like breathing new or fresh air."