The top-seed in the Qatar Total Open, who won the French Open last year on her fourth run in to a major final, had appeared a tad sloppy on the court following the biggest win of her career. It was like she had done what she had set out to do and that was that. The 27-year-old had a slow start to the season in Australia, losing her first match of the year and then falling in the round of 16 to Serena Williams at Melbourne Park.
She seems to have turned the corner since, Halep is playing with a freedom she’s never quite wanted to own. It’s not about score, it’s about spirit.
“I play with freedom, because my pressure is off now,” Halep said. “I have won a Grand Slam, I have been No. 1 in the world. My goals are realized. I just try to enjoy more the time, which I do have and I feel much better. I’m more relaxed. I’m not thinking about the result. I’m thinking just that I want to win the match I play. So that makes me a little bit relieved.”
Halep, who arrived in Doha in the early hours of Tuesday, after leading Romania’s charge against the Czechs in Ostrava, has continued here from where she left off in the Fed Cup quarterfinals.
“I feel that if I don’t give up, my chance is bigger to win every match that I play,” said Halep, who won both her matches against the Czechs, including a marathon against Karolina Pliskova. “I try to be better on the court every day, every time I step on the court. These things make me a better player.”
“I want to improve more and more myself, also as a tennis player. That’s why I promised myself that I will not give up any more during the matches,” she said. “If I lose because the opponent is better, then it’s fine. But I don’t want to lose the match on my hand. I feel no pressure. I feel I enjoy my time on court.”
Halep flaunted some of that lightness and love for a fight in her last-four clash against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, where she came back from 1-4 down in the decider, winning five straight games to make the title round.
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