"I'm a different person" claims Simona Halep following another victory in Madrid
WTA
It looks like Simona Halep is in top form once again, after pairing with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, the Romanian came with two very dominant performances at the 2022 Madrid Open.
In a match against second seed and home favorite Paula Badosa, Halep played very good tennis as she cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 triumph. Her Spanish opponent, on the other hand, was not at her best and had to take a medical break to treat a shoulder issue.
Despite winning quite comfortably, the former world no. 1 was full of praise for her opponent after their match, saying that her opponent's confidence was palpable.
"She has confidence. She’s No. 2 in the world. I knew that I have to be focused for every point and to give everything I have, to give my best, and I think I did it great. I’m really pleased with the way I played. It’s exactly what we (my coaching team) talked about before the match, so that makes me super happy."
The experienced Romanian wasn't shy to admit that before coming to Madrid for the WTA 1000 tournament, she wasn't sure of her level, but only a couple of dominant wins gave her confidence to believe that she could succeed again, calling herself "a different person".
"I was in doubt when I arrived there. I didn’t know how much I could play and how good I could still play. But now I’m a different person. I feel more confident. I feel that the pleasure helps me to work harder, to work more. I spend more time on the court. I think it’s everything coming from inside, and at this point I feel happy with myself. I feel that I have the chance to play good tennis again."
In the third round of the 2022 Madrid Open, Halep will take on young American, Coco Gauff who defeated Yulia Putintseva in the second round of the tournament, and ahead of their meeting, former world number one showed that she was aware of her upcoming opponent's qualities.
"I played against her in Indian Wells not a long time ago. She’s always a dangerous, tough player. I think she’s super young, and she’s playing great tennis, so credit to her. It’s great to see that in tennis."
"I’m just focusing, sounds like a cliché from me, but I’m really focusing on myself, and I just want to give everything I have every match and to follow what I need to follow."
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