Halep victory sweeter after the wait
AFTER 12 years and innumerable setbacks, Simona Halep earned the right to play with freedom the rest of her career.
Pitied as a serial loser, the Darren Cahill-coached Romanian exorcised the ghosts of three previous major final defeats with a stunning French Open victory over US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
Ridiculed as a world No.1 with hollow authority, Halep had the last word with a resounding 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 Roland Garros triumph, claiming January’s Australian Open setback was meant to be.
“Honestly when I was 14, I decided to be a professional tennis player. Since then I was dreaming for these moments, I was dreaming to win a Grand Slam,” Halep said.
“But the most important moment was when I won juniors (in 2008). “I said that if I will win a Grand Slam in professional tennis, I want it to be the same one. So I’m really happy that I didn’t win Melbourne, actually, (smiling) and (it) happened here.
“It’s special, and I keep it forever in my heart, for sure … It’s real now. Without ... all the people that are really special for me, I couldn’t come back after losing three finals.”