A new, very strong pairing emerged on the WTA Tour as the legendary coach Patrick Mouratoglou started coaching another big name, this time Simona Halep.
Simona Halep, who has been a stable part of the Top 10 of the WTA Rankings between 2014 and 2020, has been struggling with injuries lately, and she's still trying to return to the top again. After starting off the 2022 season with a title in Melbourne (Summer Set 1), the Romanian might be on the right track to return to the Top 10 again.
The 31-year-old ended every season from 2014 until 2020 as a member of the Top 5 on the WTA Tour, but after a below-average 2021 season, where she was not able to compete at her best, the Romanian will now attempt to show that she can still play her best tennis.
The former world no. 1 certainly has big goals for the 2022 season, and that's why she has enlisted the experienced French coach to work with her and help her get to the top of the women's Tour again.
Patrick Mouratoglou, who works with players such as Serena Williams, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Coco Gauff, is recognized as one of the best coaches in the world. Recently, rumors about him coaching men's world number 1, Novak Djokovic, emerged after the Serbian split with his long-time coach Marian Vajda.
Now, the French coach has added another big name to his team and will try to get the Romanian back to her A-game. Halep announced the partnership on social media with only a short message saying:
"Excited for a new chapter. Let's get to work."
There are still 3 Grand Slams to be played in the 2022 season, and so Halep should have a lot of time to see if Mouratoglou is the right fit for her. Their first tournament where they appear together as a team might be the 2022 Madrid Open.