“So I used to be doubting myself that my physique can nonetheless maintain for the best stage in tennis,” she continued. “So yeah, in all probability I used to be tremendous near stopping. I did not have that vitality and that confidence that I can nonetheless be on tour and on the highest stage.”
Then, an adductor damage hampered her restoration, however she finally returned to grand slam motion on the US Open the place she reached the fourth spherical.
This yr, Halep has began to rebound, saying Patrick Mouratoglou as her full-time coach earlier this month. Mouratoglou is one in all tennis’ prime coaches and is finest identified for his partnership with Serena Williams.
“I really feel like I can relate to him, and he has sufficient energy to guide me and I wanted an individual that may lead me,” Halep stated to the WTA.
“No person can evaluate with Serena, so I am not going to do this now. He is aware of I am a special particular person, I’ve a special type of enjoying, a special construction of the particular person. And we do not actually speak about that. We simply deal with ourselves, how we have now, with what we have now to do, to turn into one of the best model of myself.”
With Mouratoglou, Halep is working to develop a extra offensive technique as she prepares for the upcoming French Open.
“I sort of knew from earlier than that I’ve to be just a little bit extra aggressive as a result of the tennis is altering, for my part, and it is numerous energy,” Halep stated. “So I might say that some gamers might overpower me if I used to be, like, 100 meters again from the courtroom.
“I did not have like sufficient energy or sufficient issues to do to overplay them just a little bit. So the ability was getting me. Now, being extra aggressive, I believe I’ve a greater likelihood.”
Halep is at the moment in motion on the Mutua Madrid Open the place she defeated Zhang Shuai 6-2 6-3 within the first spherical on Thursday. She’s going to face world No. 2 Paula Badosa within the second spherical.
