Players’ Voice | Simona Halep: “I have found love for tennis again”

I feel refreshed, more confident, I finally feel recovered. I have no problems, no injuries. I feel happy to be on the court and looking forward to playing because I want to improve more and more.

Roland-Garros is my favorite tournament and I always feel great when I go there. It’s going to be a bit different because last year I didn’t play, so we’ll see. But I need more days to regain confidence, more games. So I hope to have a few more matches before I go there and just enjoy myself because it’s the best tournament for me.

I will always have great memories of my title at Roland-Garros in 2018 because it was my first Grand Slam and I always dreamed of winning in Paris. It was a beautiful atmosphere, many fans supported me and I felt great. I will never forget that moment.

If I win again, it will also be special, because every time you win a Grand Slam, it feels very special. I’m 30 years old, yes, so I’m not putting any pressure on myself, but that’s why I’m here. I’m working hard because I really dream about it again and we’ll see if it’s possible.

Patrick Mouratoglou brought the motivation, he brought back the love for this sport, the pleasure of being on the court, the pleasure of working hard. Everything changed, so many things changed that now I have to adapt, but I’ve done quite well in the short term. So I’m looking forward to doing my best to see how far I can go.

We had never talked, we never had a connection. Right at the Academy when I arrived.

I had a different perception of him and I was surprised for good. I really liked his personality, his energy and his way of seeing tennis.

I asked him. Usually good coaches don’t ask players to work with them. I asked him if he was available and wanted to work with me.

Patrick and Darren Cahill are different, I don’t want to make a comparison. I’m also a different person now, so it’s hard to compare. But they are both great.

Keeping a player like Serena Williams who has already won a lot of Grand Slams and keeping her motivated to win even more is crazy. So that’s why I always admired him. And now, knowing him, I can imagine what he was like with a player like that and her motivation that took her to the top.

I think I can be more aggressive, he really thinks I can do it. And little by little I’m starting to believe that too. We are working on it. But we’re working on the whole game, it’s not just one specific thing. So it all comes together and it’s like a plan. So I’m trying to stick to the plan.

The biggest change is that I am not training at home. I always trained in Romania, so now I’m not there to play tennis anymore. It was a big change and it wasn’t easy at first, but now it’s second nature and I feel great. Everyone is nice to me, so I feel at home there too.

I said that I felt I couldn’t play at the highest level and that I wanted to stop playing tennis because I didn’t really believe in myself. And if you really don’t believe, there’s no point in continuing. But now, meeting Patrick Mouratoglou, meeting the new team, gives you confidence. They really believe that I can still play good tennis. So the goal is to win tournaments and be the best you can be. I’m ready and I’m going to give it my all.

I don’t think about how much I have left, it’s a day-to-day vision. I don’t want to set a single goal. The goal is simply to improve myself.

I was surprised by Ashleigh Barty’s retirement because she was the best player in the world and she was winning everything so I really didn’t expect her to retire. But if she did, it means that she is happy with her decision. And I wish him all the best, he has been strong to make this decision so quickly.

I do not compare in general, because we have different lives. What she achieved is already more than what I achieved at that age, so I can’t compare. Each one makes the decision for herself and I understand that perfectly.

Follow Simona Halep on Instagram (@simonahalep) and Twitter (@Simona_Halep).