Australian Open finalist Simona Halep will be available to Romania this weekend in Cluj-Napoca in the World Group II match against Canada. For the world rankings, the Fed Cup bets are always something special.
The photo with Simona Halep in her sickbed and with infusion in her arm went around the world. It is still a mystery today who took the snapshot of the dehydrated Romanian in the night after the high-class and nearly three-hour finale of the Australian Open against the Danish Caroline Wozniacki (6:7,6:3,4:6). Less than two weeks later, a restored Halep wants to help her Fed Cup team in the duel between World Group II and Canada at the weekend in Cluj-Napoca to keep the chance of returning to the top eight teams.
And the start in “Team Romania” still feels special for the 26-year-old:”It’s quite different to play for your own country. And only for my own country,”Halep said with pathos in his voice:”Every time I’ve done my best – and sometimes even played when I was injured,” the only 1.68 metre tall folk heroine with the big fighting heart didn’t regret it.
The driving force behind the bundle of energy from Constanta, which has so far lost its three Grand Slam finals unhappily, is the special atmosphere in the Fed Cup:”The emotions are enormous, stress and pressure are greater than usual. None of this is easy. But you try to help your team somehow,”said Halep, who has a record of 14:5 victories in the traditional team competition (2:4 victories in doubles).
Last year, the 16-time WTA tournament winner helped the Romanians stay in class in World Group II. Halep defeated the former Wimbledon semi-finalist Johanna Kontakt and Heather Watson in two sets in a 3-2 victory over Britain, beating the former Wimbledon semi-finalist Johanna Kontakt and Heather Watson in two sets.
The hosts Halep, Sorana Cirstea, Irina-Camelia Begu and Raluca Olaru are the favourites in the legendary Dracula region of Transylvania when it comes to the exchange of blows against Canada. The “Maple Leaf Flag”-Quartet from North America will compete without its number one Eugenie Bouchard. The crashed hope was on Sunday with her twitter date John Goehrke at the Super Bowl in Minneapolis. Best player in the guest squad of captain Sylvain Bruneau is Carol Zhao, number 138 in the WTA ranking.
Already in the days after her “national deployment of the heart”, Halep could be on the Australian Open rematch for Halep. Like Melbourne champion Wozniacki, she will be at the top-class Premier 5 tournament in Doha/Katar (from 12. February) at the start. Angelique Kerber (Kiel) and Julia Görges (Bad Oldesloe) also want to serve at the 2.9 million dollar hard court event in the Khalifa International Tennis Complex.