No champion has yet fallen from the sky – and a Grand Slam winner even less so. Simona Halep got tutoring after her final victory at the French Open against Sloane Stephens. In the matter of cup chiselling. And this of all people from the defeated US-American.
For the first time this afternoon Simona Halep was really helpless. She, the newly crowned sand court queen of Roland Garros, who deservedly stood at the top of the podium – celebrated by the 15,000 spectators on the Court Philippe Chatrier.
These typical staccato “SIII-MOOO-NAAA” shouts echoed through the stadium. But of all people, industry leader Halep was unsure how best to present her new silver trophy, the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, to the world public. The countless photographers had been lurking for a while. In anticipation of THE special winner photo. But Halep simply turned around at the moment of general anticipation and personal helplessness.
Luckily, she saw Sloane Stephens. And the finalist from Florida was able to remedy the situation. No wonder…as a reigning US Open Champion who learned how to handle a Major Cup in September 2017.
Stephens simulated with eye contact to Halep the brace of the cup. “Man Simona, show the world your trophy!” Afterwards, Stephens, the new number four in the world, said at the award ceremony tutorial: “One waits for this moment. So it’s better to hold this thing up and show them what you got today.”
Stephens, the aesthete, gained a lot of sympathy points through this relief action for Halep. The 25-year-old is known in the scene for her moods. She can be as humorous as she is charming and can answer trenchantly. However, there is also the other side of the Sloane S.
At the tournament in Nuremberg, for example, she was reluctant to make an appointment with the press. “Zero buck” style. Stephens had previously retired from the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart after a completely listless performance (1:6, 0:6) against her compatriot Coco Vandeweghe in her opening match – and had said goodbye to the Swabian metropolis. In Paris in the last two weeks you saw not only the outstanding tennis player Stephens, but also the nice Sloane.