Despite being suspended for doping, Simona Halep retains a good relationship with her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. She was thrilled to see Holger Rune thrive under his guidance at the Paris Masters.
After struggling for a considerable period, Halep hired Mouratoglou during this year's clay court season. After a slow start on the dirt, she improved under his guidance in the following months.
The two-time Grand Slam champion reached three semifinals during the grass-court swing, including at Wimbledon, before winning a third Canadian Open. It was the first time the 31-year-old secured the title in Toronto, where she received tremendous support from the Romanians living there.
Although Halep unexpectedly lost to world No. 134 Daria Snigur in the opening round of the US Open, her overall progress with Mouratoglou, who used to coach Serena Williams, meant the future still looked bright.
However, tennis fans worldwide were left stunned when Halep was provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. An investigation is ongoing, and the 2019 Wimbledon champion is determined to prove her innocence.
Former ATP world No. 1 and fellow Romanian Ilie Nastase responded to the story by controversially stating that nothing would have happened if Halep was American because the media and authorities would have covered up the story.
Since Halep cannot play, she encouraged Mouratoglou to find a new challenge while her case is ongoing. The Frenchwoman did that by recently becoming 19-year-old Holger Rune's coach.
Rune and Mouratoglou enjoyed stunning success at the Paris Masters. The Dane overcame 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in a thrilling final to win a maiden Masters 1000 title. It will likely be the first of many based on Rune's performances throughout the tournament.
Halep was thrilled to see her coach being successful with Rune and congratulated both on social media.
“Congrats Holger Rune, i enjoyed watching you! Proud of my coach Patrick Mouratoglou, special person!”
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