TENNIS LEGENDS VODCAST WITH SIMONA HALEP

What about Justine’s game that was so attractive to you Simona as a young girl?
Well everything! First of all, we have the same height and I thought “I have a chance to do it!” and the backhand even if I’m not one handed, I loved your backhand Justine! I have also copied the movement because she always had strong legs and she was playing very close to the baseline. I tried to copy that, it was not perfect because I was very far sometimes but I had it in my mind and I knew it was the best thing to do when you’re not very tall.

Do you remember your first thoughts when you had your match point (against Sloane Stephens), what was going through your head?
Well in that moment, actually the score was 5/1 and I didn’t feel stressed. There can’t be something worse coming back but I had emotions, I remember that I stopped once when I wanted to serve. I stopped and I thought “ok this is the moment, I have to put the first serve in”. That’s everything I had in my mind. And I did it and she missed her forehand. I have that point… I think I will always have that point for the rest of my life!

Were you feeling under pressure when you were playing Sloane in that final?
I felt it yes.. I felt a moment that I would never win a Grand Slam. I just cannot handle it. Because you know I played against Sloane before and I won matches against her. And I said “If I lose again that final it means that I cannot handle the pressure, and I cannot handle the emotions. And I was 2/0 down also in the 2nd set. And I said I have no chance if I play the same. So at that moment I had in my mind that I need to change something and to be more aggressive. And at that moment I thought “ok everything is lost and I have nothing to lose anymore, I just have to try something else.” And it worked. But she played unbelievable. I never saw her to play that well on clay! Honestly! She was unbelievable that day!

Why were you feeling more relaxed after losing that first set?
I know that if I go to a third set I have a better chance. Most of my matches, that we actually played in 3 sets, I won them. Physically I feel strong every time I play. But I don’t know Maybe I start too slow and you know the emotions because you know I’m a very emotional person, and I stress myself maybe for nothing sometimes. And that’s why I start slower. But I didn’t find an explanation yet so I’m working on that! Maybe you guys can help me!

Did winning your first Slam change you?
I have heard many people saying that some players get depressed after winning their first grand slam because they imagined that it was going to be something huge and it is not that big in the end… I did not have that breakdown. I felt normal. I didn’t change. I already started to think about the next steps, and what the next level would be. But in the mean time, many people came to me telling me “now you won your first grand slam, you are going to relax and you will win more…”. It is ultimately wrong. Because now you are under constant pressure (the obligation to win). Every match there is pressure… You have to admit it and embrace it and keep in my mind the big picture. This is something I learned from Darren. Look at the big picture, not just on what happens on the day. In my opinion, Winning the French Open did not change my personality. I live exactly the same way. Nothing has changed for me. I got more confident. I feel fulfilled… I am more relaxed, but you also feel the pressure.

Simona Halep was speaking exclusively to Eurosport's Tennis Legends podcast alongside Justine Henin. Download the full podcast from Thursday evening (14 May).