Positive thinking
Positive thinking, return of coach raise her game
With a new attitude and her coach back in the fold, Simona Halep thrives in the French Open,
Often when times get PARIS tough, a tennis player will fire his or her coach — after all, someone has to be at fault. But it’s rare for a coach to fire the player.
That’s what happened to French Open No. 3 seed Simona Halep of Romania during the Miami Open in March.
Australian Darren Cahill, who solidified his reputation as one of tennis’ great minds while coaching Andre Agassi, came to know Halep when he worked with her as part of an Adidas project.
Before the 2016 season, Halep asked Cahill if he’d consider becoming her full-time coaching guru. He said yes, and the rest is history — sort of.
It turns out Halep, who pummeled 21st seed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-1 Monday to reach the French Open quarterfinals, is a complex personality, sometimes for the good and often for the bad.
Her game is not the cause of the problems — she is an aggressive baseline player who adeptly scrambles around the court and hits surprisingly potent ground strokes considering her diminutive stature. It’s her mentality that is frequently called into question.
She’s passionate, intense and downright demanding of herself, which together can be a detrimental mix.
When Halep, 25, was asked if there was something in the water in Romania that causes its players to be so high-strung, she laughed.
“I think the blood is the answer,” she said. “We have it. So we don’t know. No one told me, ‘ Be like this.’ I am just like this because, maybe I was born with this thing, with the fire in me and myself.”
Cahill accepted the job thinking Halep, whom he fondly calls “Simo,” was a competitor worthy of winning at the Grand Slam events and even of becoming world No. 1. But by the time they worked together in Miami, about 15 months into the partnership, Halep’s pessimism became too much for Cahill to endure.
At the Miami Open, Halep lost a match she was in position to win. Playing Britain’s Johanna Konta, the Romanian was serving for their quarterfinal match at 5-4 in the second set and was again two points from the win at 5-3 in the second-set tiebreaker. She called Cahill to the court for a pep talk heading into the third set — WTA rules allow coaching consultation — but spent much of that time belittling herself.
After Halep lost, Cahill surprised her by informing her that, just like a naughty child, he was putting her in a timeout. Translation: Her bad attitude was unacceptable and he was taking a break from their coaching arrangement.
Cahill’s tough-love separation strategy worked. Halep, reeling from Cahill’s unexpected departure, came to the realization she had to reform. It would be out with negativity and in with positivity.
“I think it meant a lot that he took that decision,” Halep said. “Helped me. I just felt that it was like a shock, because I lost the coach. I knew I had to change to have him back. I changed pretty fast.”
Cahill watched from afar as Halep went from a poor start to the 2017 season, exiting the Australian Open in the first round for the second year in a row, to picking up the pieces after the Miami Open.
She was instrumental in Romania’s Fed Cup victory against Britain, posting a win against Konta. Halep, who is ranked No. 4, went on to reach the semifinals in Stuttgart, Germany.
That’s when she put in a call to Cahill asking if he would come back. Working again as a team, she successfully defended her Madrid title and was a finalist in the Italian Open in Rome before heading to Paris.
She says her new confident and composed demeanor is a work in progress but is pleased with the improvements.
“I think my (new) attitude helps me to see the game better and to be able to play relaxed and to play more positive,” she said. “I think everything is changed. ... I don’t have bad moods anymore, so it’s good.”