Former world No.1 Simona Halep says her decision to work with Patrick Mouratoglou is one of the best things to have happened to her.
The two-time Grand Slam champion has been working with the Frenchman since April after training at his academy. Mouratoglou has a wealth of experience in the sport and is best known for his collaboration with Serena Williams who he worked with before Halep. Since the start of their partnership, the Romanian has enjoyed some modest results with semi-final appearances at tournaments in Birmingham and Bad Homburg. She also reached the last four at Wimbledon without dropping a set before losing to eventual champion Elena Rybakina.
Halep’s focus is now on the North American swing where she will begin her campaign at this week’s Citi Open in Washington. Speaking to reporters ahead of the tournament, she was asked how her latest coach is different to Darren Cahill who guided her on the Tour for years.
“I will not compare [them] because they are super different. What I can say in this moment, it’s the best thing that could happen to me, to meet Patrick. He has super energy. He’s super kind. So, it means a lot for me to work with people like this,” the world No.16 replied.
Continuing her praise of Mouratoglou, Halep credits him for reigniting her passion for the sport. During a troublesome 2021 season that was marred by injury, the 30-year-old admitted that she contemplated retiring from the sport.
“All his experience and all his advice are amazing. So, I’m enjoying a lot this period. He brought me back to love tennis, to love working, which never happened before. Now, I’m just giving my best every day. We don’t have expectations in order of results. We just have expectations to work hard and to improve,” Halep explained.
“We will see what we can do together.”
Halep is seeded third at this week’s Citi Open after Emma Raducanu and Jessica Pegula. She is bidding to win her first Tour title on American soil since the 2013 Connecticut Open. In the first round she will play Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa.
