“She is not thinking she is the favourite” Coach Patrick Mouratoglou talks about Simona Halep’s struggles in making the Wimbledon semis


“She is not thinking she is the favourite” Coach Patrick Mouratoglou talks about Simona Halep’s struggles in making the Wimbledon semis

Simona Halep and Patrick Mouratoglou

Currently ranked 18th in the WTA rankings, former World No. 1 Simona Halep is back in a Grand Slam semi-final as she overcame a spirited Amanda Anisimova in straight-sets in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Halep is into her first Grand Slam semi-final since the 2020 Australian Open and being the only player left in the final-4 to have a Grand Slam title, she is the heavy favourite as well.

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Since the resumption of tennis post the Pandemic break, Halep had been struggling with injuries and fitness issues that saw her nearly drop out of the Top 20. The Romanian briefly fired all of her coaches after her 2022 Australian Open exit to coach herself before she hired Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou who left the 23-time major winner as she had no concrete plans of returning to play.

Also Read: “I am very emotional right now,” Simona Halep zeros down on her self-belief and experience after winning a 12th consecutive match at Wimbledon

“She has had two difficult years”: Patrick Mouratoglou on Simona Halep

Simona Halep
Simona Halep

Speaking with Eurosport, Patrick talked about the struggles of Halep in the past two seasons and how the two have coped up with it to make Halep a Grand Slam winning contender once again. With the immense experience both of them have, it was a matter of time before Halep started making big moves and within a few months, the change is visible.

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“It is a good result. We are happy because Roland Garros was a bit difficult, she has had two difficult years. We knew she needed to play a lot of matches, we worked really hard before Roland Garros, but I think the level of stress was too much for her to perform. Also, we wanted to clarify her game plan and she has won a lot of matches which helps her confidence. We want to work on being more on top of the rallies, more dictating and being more creative in the game and I think she loves it, she enjoys it and I think that’s obvious.

“It’s efficient tennis. She was completely open to making those changes although it’s hard when someone has played on the tour for so long with habits. We have worked a lot on the serve and the return as the first shot of the rally is very important. She is the only one left who has won a Grand Slam, she has been No. 1 in the world. So she has the experience, but she is not thinking she is the favourite after what she has been through. The mindset will be exactly the same as the one she has had from the start of the tournament,” said Patrick about Halep.

Also Read: “He should tell his daughter that” When Serena Williams fired back at Novak Djokovic over his shocking equal pay remark

Also Read: “Nothing match related” Ajla Tomljanovic left frustrated with questions only about ex-boyfriend Nick Kyrgios after her quarter-final exit from Wimbledon 2022

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