Simona Halep has reflected on her performance at the recent WTA Finals in Singapore during an interview with Romanian website Pro Sport.
Halep was the top seed in the tournament but failed to progress beyond the round robin stage after suffering a duo of defeats to Maria Sharapova and eventual champion Agnieszka Radwanska. Leading up to her last tournament of the season, the world No.2 experienced a disappointing Asian swing with a trio of early tournament exits. Speaking about her below-par end to the season, Halep acknowledged that she has been suffering from an injury issue with her tendon, which has affected her ability to run in recent months.
“I felt a little tired. I had not prepared well before – in fact, after the US Open I could not run much, because I had problems with my tendon. Singapore was a beautiful experience, it was my second time in Singapore. I am disappointed, but I have to accept it and move on”. Halep told Pro Sport.
Halep will end the year at the highest year-end ranking in her career (2), this year she has won three titles in Indian Wells, Shenzhen and Dubai. She also reached back-to-back finals at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters before reaching the semi-finals of the US Open.
The Romanian also talked about the pressure put on her by the public. At the 2014 French Open she was the first Romanian player to reach the final of a Grand Slam since 1980. In the same year she became the first Romanian woman in history to defeat a world No.1 player on the WTA Tour.
“The world expects many things from me, but it is okay, I mind my own business. I want to do my job as best I can”. The 24-year-old said.
“I just want to play every tournament, because every competition is important”. She added.
The world No.2 also admitted that she needs to improve on her slice and volley during the off-season for next year. The 24-year-old will spends some time away from the sport to recover from a long season before preparing for the Australian swing in January.
There is yet to be any comment from Halep concerning her coaching arrangements for 2016, however, it has been reported that she will begin working with Razvan Sabau. The 38-year-old is a former player who reached a ranking high of 74th in 2005. During his career, Sabu won 9 titles, three Challengers and six Futures. Sabau has confirmed he will work with Halep during an interview with Ziare.com. It is currently unclear how this new arrangement will affect Halep’s cooperation with the other members in her coaching team.
