Ilie Năstase did not hit Simona Halep, who was on the ground: “She remains a champion”

The former tennis player Ilie Năstase declared, on Saturday, for AGERPRES, that Simona Halep remains a champion even if she was defeated in the final of the Roland Garros tournament by Jelena Ostapenko, stating that it is painful to lose a match in the last act of a competition after leading with 1-0 in sets. “We are all disappointed, naturally. As she certainly is. He was so close to winning the final. At one point she had like three balls 4-0 (no — in the second set), but her opponent turned the match and won. It’s a shame when you lose like that. If it happened in the first round, it was easier, but in the final to lose like that is painful. But no matter that she lost, Simona remains a champion and we all hope she comes back as soon as possible”, said Năstase.
The former tennis player mentioned that such a defeat is not easy to forget, but he is confident that Simona Halep will be able to come back. “It will be quite difficult for him to recover because it is the second final at Roland Garros that he has lost, but nothing is easy. I have faith that he will bounce back quickly, and his next chance to win a Grand Slam is Wimbledon. It has to go forward. As I said, she remains a champion”, said Năstase for AGERPRES.
Halep, who will be world number two from Monday, won 1,060,000 euros and 1,300 WTA points, and the winner was rewarded with 2,100,000 euros and 2,000 WTA points.