Halep fears for tennis return

LONDON. — Simona Halep admits she has serious concerns about getting back up to speed after the coronavirus lockdown comes to an end.

Like the rest of the tennis world, Halep has been unable to compete since early March as the world comes to grips with the coronavirus pandemic, and there is still no concrete idea about when the WTA Tour will resume.

When the sport does finally get going again, Halep expects it to present a serious mental and physical challenge.

“My longest break before the lockdown has been of 3-4 weeks and [returning to competitions] was very difficult for me,” Halep told AGERPRES.

“You lose pace, you lose focus, and then physically, if you idle about for a whole week you’ve lost half a year.

“I don’t know what others have done during this time, maybe some did training runs, maybe they did strength workouts, I don’t know, I can’t assume.

“But I feel it on my own skin that it will be a bit difficult for me. It matters a lot that I haven’t had official matches.

“You can train five hours a day for a whole year, if you are not on an official game, you’re not in the game at all. There’s a big difference.”

Halep also discussed how lockdown has affected her personally, claiming it has given her perspective into how regimented tennis has made her — and she doesn’t like it.

“I learned a lot from the two-month isolation. I realised that in the last 6 years I’ve been actually on a total lockdown.

“It occurred to me that I have to change something in my life, in order to also develop on the emotional and personal side.

“The fact that I’ve been on lockdown for 6 years has helped me become world No. 1.

“But now, for me to have a happy life without tennis, I am slowly trying to experience new feelings, see something else.”— AFP.