Yet again, it was a case of so near, but so far for Simona Halep in the final of a major tournament.
The current world No.1 struggled with her health throughout the Australian Open final as she went out in three sets to Caroline Wozniacki. During the roller coaster encounter, the Romanian had chances to close out the match and was just two points away from securing a 5-3 lead in the decider. Still, it was not to be for Halep as her opponent battled towards the finish line.
“I can still smile. It’s fine. I cried, but now I’m smiling.” Said Halep. “It Is just a tennis match in the end. But I’m really sad I couldn’t win it. I was close again, but the gas was over in the end.”
Halep’s journey at this year’s Australian Open is one that could be made into a movie. In the first round she rolled her ankle with concerns erupting about if she could continue playing in the tournament. In the third round, she defeated Lauren Davis 15-13 in the final set during a marathon encounter. Then against Angelique Kerber, Halep saved a match point before winning. It has been far from smooth for the 26-year-old, who exits the tournament in an upbeat manner.
“I’m leaving Australia with many good thoughts and many positive things because what I’ve done these two weeks I never did, me, in the past. So it’s okay.” She explained.
Melbourne is the third major event where Halep has fallen short in the final. Her two previous occasions happened at the French Open in 2014 and 2017. The most notable of those being last year at Roland Garros, where she was leading Jelena Ostapenko by a set and a break.
Since her Paris disappointment, Halep has managed to regroup. Becoming the first player from her country to reach No.1 on the WTA Tour. Her rise has been mentored by coach Darren Cahill, who once threatened to end their partnership last year due to a dispute. Despite losing to Wozniacki, Halep believes she is in the right place with her mental game.
“The muscles were tired. The feet were not good enough.” She concluded.
“But mentally I was ready. I feel that I can face any challenge. I can play against anyone. I can win against anyone. But just sometimes is not how you want because you cannot physically do it.”
It remains to be seen what the true consequences of Halep’s run have been on her body. After numerous matches, she confirmed that she was still coping with pain. Originally the focus was on one ankle, but the Romanian has confirmed that she will shortly be undergoing a MRI on both feet. Ruling herself out of next week’s St. Petersburg Open.
“It was hurting every day. In the practice, I couldn’t practice more than 10, 15 minutes. So every day I just played to feel the ball 15 minutes, and that was it.” She revealed.
“I didn’t believe that I can go through all these matches. But I wanted. Looks like I have enough inside power to fight with everything. So it’s a good thing. This tournament meant a lot for me.”
Halep is the first female player from her country to reach the final of the Australian Open.
