Simona Halep has been given a hero’s welcome by her home country following her historic win at the French Open.
An estimated 20,000 people attended a special ceremony on Monday evening at the National Arena in Bucharest. A stage was erected in the middle of the stadium so Halep could present her trophy and speak to the crowd. As she walked into the stadium, the music started blaring with Queen’s ‘we are the champions’ chosen to start the ceremony.
“I’m very proud to be Romanian as I’ve always been saying. These performances are from here, even if I come from a small country, big performance is possible,” Halep said. “We know we don’t have a developed sports system, but I thank Romania for everything she offered me and I hope we will have more champions,” she added.
On Saturday the 26-year-old battled back from a set and a break down to defeat Sloane Stephens in the French Open final. The win makes Halep only the second female grand slam champion from her country. The first was Virginia Ruzici in 1978. During the presentation, Halep paid tribute to those who have helped her.
“I want to thank all my coaches who put a brick to this performance, to my family who’ve supported me everyday,” she said. “I hope this trophy will signal the start of a new generation of champions.”
Even prior to her triumph in Roland Garros, Halep was already a superstar in her home country. In 2017 she was named the most successful woman in Romania by Capital. Following on from that, she was made an honorary citizen of Bucharest earlier this year. In light of her recent success, Halep hopes to inspire others.
“I hope we will believe in ourselves more and to believe a hundred percent that we are strong and that we can achieve whatever we wish for. But before all that, we must dream,” she told the crowd.
According to the Business Review, the National Arena wasn’t the first choice to hold Halep’s ceremony. Officials had originally wanted to hold a celebration in the main square of the city, but it was too short notice to request a permit from the local authorities.
Also present on Monday was Halep’s family, Ilie Nastase and mayor Gabriela Firea. Firea was subjected to a series of jeers during the evening.
