Post by Admin on Nov 8, 2014 20:55:48 GMT
Just 18 months ago, the Constanta-native was a qualifier in Rome, where she was ranked No64 in the world. In the third round against the then world No4 Agnieszka Radwanska, something clicked for Halep. She beat Radwanska in three sets before taking out two more top-20 players to reach the semi-finals. It was the start of a remarkable year and a half, which flew by like one sensational gymnastics vault routine from Halep, with Rome serving as the springboard.
In that period, Halep has won eight titles (including six trophies from six finals in 2013), has reached the French Open final, risen to No2 in the world, posted 12 top-10 victories and finished as runner-up at the WTA Finals.
“Last year I played unbelievably,” Halep told Sport360°. “I thought that I could play at the highest level, beating top players and after Rome I started growing my confidence in my game. I felt very well on court, I just took the pleasure and I was fighting for everything. I believe I’m strong mentally and I think this is helping me every day to wake up again and do my job, the hard work and everything else.”
Throughout this season, Halep and Sharapova have developed a widely-popular rivalry which showcases their contrasting styles. Halep is all about shot selection, variety and great movement while Sharapova is about dominating the baseline with her sheer power. They’ve faced off three times in 2014, and all three times, Sharapova has won in three tight sets.
When asked how she perceived their rivalry, Halep chuckles before saying: “I think I had bad luck during the matches. I was very close to winning, that made me very happy that I’m very close to her. She’s a great player, she’s a champion, she won many titles, she has more experience than me. But I played good matches against her and I’m looking forward to have many more. Maybe one day I will win one match.” With a 0-5 career record against her, is Halep developing a mental block against Sharapova? “No it’s not my personality to be worried to play her again. I believe that I have my chance every match and just to think that it’s another day always,” she added.
Halep may have been flying since Rome last year but in reality, it hasn’t all been smooth. She rolled her ankle against Eugenie Bouchard to lose in the Wimbledon semi-finals last July and says she regrets not being more careful. She picked up a hip injury in Beijing late in the season and had to retire from her quarter-final there.
“I had a tough period in China. I didn’t believe anymore that I could find the way to fight during the points and during the matches,” she admitted. “But I have my team close to me and my family also. They were telling me ‘it’s just a period and you can pass it because you’re strong’. So that helped me.” And the turnaround could not have been more impressive. Halep had lost confidence in her serve, so spent 20 minutes every day working on it, and having just recovered from her hip injury, she entered the WTA Finals in Singapore with low expectations but renewed desire.
Her character was tested there however. She could have made sure Williams was out of the competition had she lost to Ana Ivanovic in two sets in the last match of the group stage. She lost in three instead and while many lauded her ethics, others – including her coach Wim Fissette – said she should have been smarter and eliminated the biggest threat to her in the competition, especially as she ended up losing the final to Williams.
“I didn’t care. I’m not afraid to play against Serena again. I’m looking forward only to play my best on court, to do everything I can in that day and in that match,” Halep had said after her Ivanovic match. “I have no regrets,” she added after her final loss to Williams. One more thing Halep might be getting? A stylist. It has taken her time to get accustomed to the glamorous side of her job and she joked that she felt like she was packing for a wedding when she took three dresses with her to Singapore. “I just buy the dresses from the shops, maybe it’s a good idea to have a stylist. I’ll think about it,” she says with a laugh.