French Open: Simona Halep: “I’ll keep cool in the final”

Another victory until the end of the line: Industry leader Simona Halep finally wants to reward herself with the win of her first Grand Slam coup in the final match between Paris and Sloane Stephens (USA) on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm (LIVETICKER). Many believe that the Romanian bundle of energy can only beat itself.

The day before the grand finale Simona Halep was looking for a little distraction – she did it her way. The white baseball cap had pulled the 26-year-old deep into her face when she watched the semi-final between sand court king Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin den Potro (6:4, 6:1, 6:2) as onlooker on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Halep already had the medial gauntlet behind him. Of course, this one annoying question came up, several times, of course. Whether she will finally manage to win her premiere title at a major event in the fourth attempt – after the final defeats of Roland Garros in 2014 and 2017 and at the Australian Open in 2018.

And the world number one did everything in her power not to get the discussions about a possible endgame complex really started. “I’ve lost three times and no one has died, so it’s okay,” said the power player from Constanta on the Black Sea and turned the tables: “I’m going to be even more confident now because I’ve been able to gain a lot of experience.

And then Halep announced: “I’ll keep a cool head.” She did not want to go into too much detail about the (still) missing major trophy. Constant dripping caves the stone if you look at it negatively. And she can’t and won’t allow herself doubts about her own nerves. Instead, the first in the world rankings, looking out the window with a smile on her lips, suggested talking only about the good weather.

Should “Halepeno”, as tennis analyst Brad Gilbert calls the Romanian because of her enormous speed and in the style of the fiery chilli variety Jalapeno, lose against US open champion Stephens (No. 10), the (tennis) world would not end either. Halep, who is still unfinished, would even be in good company in the “late bloomer” category: the great Ivan Lendl first had to lose four Grand Slams finals before the knots burst for him on one of the most important stages in 1984. By the way, at the French Open at the Bois de Boulogne.

The Romanian national heroine, who had eliminated Angelique Kerber (Kiel/No. 12) in three sets in the quarter-finals, naturally does not want to rely on statistics and pure hope. Halep has been relying for some time on the help of a psychologist to fulfill her dream of a major coup.

Perhaps it is a good omen that the expert by first name has the same name as Serena Williams’ daughter: Alexis. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to about certain things. It gives you tips on how to deal with yourself and accept you if you miss a goal. I have already made progress in this respect,” Halep reported on the cooperation, which seems to be fruitful: “I am happy, laugh more, life is more beautiful.

A few weeks before the start of the clay court spectacle in the French capital, “Simo” had revealed in an interview that the desire to win her first Grand Slam title was “already great”. Coach Darren Cahill knows that, too. The always friendly and unagitated Australian, considered by many to be the best professional coach on the WTA tour, has made Halep the world’s number one in recent years.

And when she sits on her porch at the Scharzen Meer in a few years as a tennis pensioner, Halep may find that Cahill has provided the initial spark for her career. Last year at the tournament in Miami, the 52-year-old simply abandoned her because once again she hadn’t struggled enough against defeat.

“It was like a shock to me then,” Halep recalls. After the incident, she went into herself and claimed that from then on she would always show full commitment. Cahill returned – and can’t complain about the development of his protégé since then. If it weren’t for the Grand Slam trophies…but that could change suddenly on Saturday afternoon!