VIDEO Simona Halep – Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-5 | The success that Simona Halep recorded today at WTA Prague , when she added her 21st singles title to her record, made Cristian Tudor Popescu exult with joy.
The journalist believes that in fact this victory of our champion is much more important than usual, because it comes after the period of interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everyone who saw the match saw a rock Simona, with extremely strong shots, placed, remaining in control the whole match, regardless of the evolution of the score.
Who still thinks about Simona’s first match since this tournament, against Polona Hercog… That match, Simona could have lost countless times. It was an excruciating, long match, in which Simona did not play well.
And yet he won. How, somehow, he succeeded through work, determination and above all not thinking for a moment about the score. At her shots inevitably affected by the months of interruption.
He didn’t think for a moment about the score, he only thought about improving his shots. And that’s how she managed to win, like a great champion who manages to win even in matches where she doesn’t play well, and that’s how we got to see this superb final towards which Simona climbed set after set against future opponents, reaching this level in which, mentally, he played like in the match against Polona Hercog, in the first match, without thinking for a moment – and there were difficult moments when he came back tremendously from 4-2 down in second set, Elise Mertens who is a very strong player, came back, went 5-4 over Simona…
I didn’t see Simona there for a moment thinking about that score reversal. She was only interested in lifting more to the Belgian, who hits flat and does not like Simona’s lifted ball” , said CTP, at Digi 24 .
CTP: “Simona Halep defeated the pandemic”. What the journalist said about the US Open
Cristian Tudor Popescu also noted the fact that Halep presented herself very well from a mental point of view.
“A victory of great mental beauty by Simona, in this tournament and in this final.
I was saying after the first match against Polona Hercog that that ugly victory will contribute a lot to what will happen in this tournament. Because that’s how it is with great champions. If they can get past those kind of hoops, in the first round, in the second round, when their game isn’t going well, then they usually win the tournament. Which is what happened.
In turn, this tournament win in Prague gives Simona confidence in what she can do next. Basically, do you know what Simona did in this tournament? He beat the pandemic. Simona Halep defeated the pandemic. She fought here not primarily with opponents, no matter how strong, but with this interruption, these months of break. Do you realize how excruciating it was for her and how it affected her pageant psyche?
Simona defeated the pandemic and I would very much like to see her at the US Open, but, of course, I will respect her decision without question, whatever it may be in relation to the American Open” , said the journalist.
