After falling three times in major finals, Simona Halep finally breaks through at her favourite Grand Slam event.
Despite being No. 1, Halep had won just one tournament in the past 12 months. But she is now the first Romanian woman in 40 years to win the French Open, the tournament that her mentor and longtime manager, Virginia Ruzici, won in 1978.
Many have offered encouragement in the past four years as Halep tried to rebound from her latest Grand Slam setback. She has questioned herself repeatedly and found a way to improve. She enlisted the full-time help of Cahill, one of the game’s most respected coaches, who also helped Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi win a major title and reach No. 1.
“Darren has been the key man, the key person in her team,” said Ruzici, who was courtside on Saturday. “I think Darren has been fabulous at helping her improve her game on the court, but also helping her to improve her mental attitude. And also she became much more of a relaxed person.”
More recently, Halep has worked with a sports psychologist to learn how to maintain a more positive attitude with titles on the line — and with her home nation supporting her so passionately that it was only increasing the burden.
“They say the destination is more beautiful if it’s a bit of a bumpy road and you eventually get there, and it’s what happened to her today,” Cahill said. “It’s a magical moment for her, and she did it the hard way against a great opponent.”
To manage it, the top-seeded Halep had to fight back from a set and a service break down, just as the unseeded Jelena Ostapenko did against Halep in last year’s French Open final.
Credit : The New York Times
Picture Credit : Google
