Wimbledon: Moments after winning her opening match Wimbledon Simona Halep found herself in an unwelcome situation.
Taking on Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich, the seventh seed prevailed 6-4, 7-5. A balanced performance that featured 18 winners alongside 16 unforced errors. However, alarm bells were ringing throughout. Halep required two medical time outs after slipping and over-extending her ankle on the court. Which required strapping.
“I feel it a little bit. I think it’s a little bit stretched, the muscle behind the knee, and also the Achilles. Hopefully is nothing dangerous and I can recover until the next match.” Halep said during her press conference.
“It could have been even worse. But actually, I was lucky a little bit because I stopped the swing, yeah, then I just turn around and continue the point. It was a little bit better then.”
The on-court drama failed to deter the Romanian during her clash with Sasnovich. In the second set, Halep trailed 2-5 before winning five games in a row. Fending off one set point on the route to victory.
“I didn’t miss that much and I tried to be more aggressive to hit the ball. At one point I started to push the ball, and she could play her game. She plays well when she goes for it.” She commented about her comeback.
“Then I was concentrating on the serve, as well. I played more with the first one. I felt confident, even if I was 2-5.”
There is a calmness surrounding the Romanian this time around compared to 2018. Then she was the top seed and won her maiden grand slam title a couple of months prior at the French Open. This time around she is midway through what she described as a ‘chill year.’ A somewhat perplexing comment from a top 10 player.
“This year it’s a chill year and I’m not putting pressure on myself. I’m motivated every tournament I play. So I’m not analyzing that much.” She explains.
“I just want to go to court and to see how good I can be this year. Next year maybe I will push a little bit more.”
“Now I feel happy on court, I feel good. I just try to win every match I play. Nothing else in my mind.”
Halep will play compatriot Mihaela Buzărnescu in the second round on Wednesday.
