Halep Responds To Comments Calling Her Hong Kong Loss 'Embarrassing'
WTA
Simona Halep reached out to a fan on social media who defended the Romanian from criticism after she lost at the Hong Kong Open.
Halep played in just her fourth tournament since returning from a doping suspension in Hong Kong. She was initially set to be sidelined for a lengthy four years but had that reduced to nine months upon appeal.
After losing to Paula Badosa at the Miami Open in March, she sustained a knee injury at a WTA 125k event. That sidelined Halep for over four months and stopped her from building any momentum.
Although the 33-year-old managed a first win since returning to tennis at a WTA 125K tournament in Hong Kong, her first appearance since that knee injury, she lost heavily in the next round. Another defeat at the ongoing Hong Kong Open to Yue Yuan followed that.
Despite those struggles and being unhappy with her performance against Yuan, Halep refused to panic and vowed to work even harder to improve physically ahead of the 2025 season.
The two-time Grand Slam champion's efforts did not stop some harshly criticizing her. A Romanian writer named Florentin Dinca asked how much Halep was paid for a display he described as embarrassing.
An X(formerly Twitter) account named Romanian Tennis, a fan account that is not an official part of the Romanian Tennis Federation, hit back at the writer who made those comments.
The account posted a lengthy response, part of which stated it was wrong to label Halep's performance as embarrassing after what she has been through and while the 2019 Wimbledon champion is working so hard to return to a high level.
"With everything Simona has been through the past few years, and how hard she is working to get back, to say how she played in Hong Kong was "embarrassing" is upsetting and wrong, and I feel it is my place with an audience to point it out."
Unexpectedly, Halep responded to the account defending her. The former world No. 1 wrote that she really appreciated the support, that it was a victory just being back on the court, and that it does not matter what others say.
"Thank you for your support. I don't normally do this but I liked how you reacted and I really appreciate it. Listen, doesn't matter what people say, for me it is a victory to be back on court. And I'm very proud of it!!!"
"Everything is too beautiful to let these lil things touching us. Enjoy tennis, enjoy watching who you like and just ignore the rest. And?! Keep smiling."
There have been several cases of athletes being trolled and abused on social media. Naomi Osaka admits handling social media negativity is something she is still learning.
That makes this interaction between Halep and a fan a particularly heartwarming moment. It proves that many players see the positive comments as well as the negative ones, which can encourage fans to be more visibly supportive of their favorite athletes.
