WTA Toronto - Simona Halep: "I was almost done with tennis"
Simona Halep reached the semifinals at the Toronto WTA 1000 event with a strong performance against Coco Gauff . A few months ago, the Romanian was in a much darker place.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Aug 13, 2022, 12:32 pm
Simona Halep is getting better and better. Semi-finals in Bad Homburg, semi-finals in Wimbledon and now at least the semi-finals in Toronto, these are the results of the former world number ones in three of the last four tournaments. Yes, the Romanian is getting closer and closer to her absolute top form, she knew how to convince in Canada, especially with the two-set success over a self-sacrificing fighting Coco Gauff.
Anything but an easy victory, as Halep explained after reaching the semi-finals: "I'm very happy with how I stayed mentally strong throughout the match and fought for every point," said the 30-year-old. "It was very important because she did exactly the same thing. It's never easy to compete against Coco." Halep now meets Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.
Halep very happy with Mouratoglou
Neo-coach Patrick Mouratoglou is also largely responsible for the current high, as Halep emphasized: "Before I met Patrick, I was depressed. I lacked motivation. I couldn't work constantly, I was almost done with tennis," explained the 30 year old. "He gave me back the inner fire and motivation. I am confident that I can still play tennis at a high level."
Together with the French they form an excellent team, the mutual trust is absolutely given. "I'm improving, I'm working hard and I hope that I can do even better in the future," said Halep, who is currently very satisfied with the mental component in particular and would therefore also like to have a say in the title at the US Open: " I like myself more now in every way. I feel better and have more confidence. I approach things with a more positive attitude. Overall I feel a lot more comfortable with myself."