Former world No.1 Simona Halep has officially started working with Belgian coach Thierry Van Cleemput following weeks of speculation.
The reigning French Open champion has been in discussions with Cleemput since the Australian Open, where she lost in the fourth round to Serena Williams. Shortly after the conclusion of the tournament, the two meet once again in Halep’s home country of Romania.
“She’s an amazing player, her level is amazing and she has all the qualities to return back to the top (of the WTA rankings).” Cleemput told reporters in Bucharest last month.
The new partnership has been confirmed WTA Insider’s Courtney Nguyen, who had been in contact with Halep’s management. Their collaboration will officially start at the Doha Open, which will get underway next week. Although the two have already been training together.
“We have trained very well. We’ve started the collaboration and we work together. I hope it will be alright. It’s something new, something different and it won’t be easy, but I have confidence it’s going to be alright. The coaching methods are somehow different, his personality is different, but it is a new challenge for me and I’ll see how I can cope with it.” DigiSport quoted Halep as saying.
Cleemput has worked as a coach since 1993 and has guided some of the best male players in his home country. Spending stints with Olivier Rochus and Steve Darcis. He was also the assistant team captain of the Belgian Davis Cup team between 2002-2005. Cleemput has most recently been working with David Goffin. The two separated on ‘mutual grounds’ at the start of the season.
Halep, who ended her 2018 season early due to a back injury, has started this year with a win-loss record of 3-2. At the Australian Open, she scored wins over Kaia Kanepi, Sofia Kenin and Venus Williams. However, the run was not enough to protect her No.1 ranking. She is now currently ranked third after Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova.
This weekend Halep will lead her country in their Fed Cup clash against the Czech Republic in Ostrava.
