NEWS
Halep becomes the princess of Roland Garros
Sunday, June 8, 2008
A final accelerated forehand and Simona Halep throws down her racquet and cries with joy! Just time for a consolatory hug with her opponent before she seizes her mobile phone to break the news to her family, who stayed behind in Romania. After missing two match points in the second set, at 5-4 on her service, she had to really fight for an extra half hour before finding another way to finish her opponent off. "I panicked a little…
At 5-2 on her serve in the third set, the blonde youngster showed a determination way beyond her 16 years to seal the deal on the title which was within her reach. …I don't know how I pushed through to win,… Halep says, after finishing off her opponent Elena Bogdan, another Russian, 6-4 6-7 6-2. …When I missed two match points in the second and went on to lose the set, I panicked a little. I was tired, my morale was down and I don't know how, but some force finally pushed me to go through and win the match.…
Her strong point is undoubtedly her ability to accelerate on her forehand. She also has a winner's mentality. Already a semi finalist in the Australian Open, Liviu Panait's protégé, who started knocking a ball about at only 4 years of age, can one day dream of entering the top ten, …as long as she works hard for six hours per day over the next three years,… adds Ion Tirac, who watched the all-Romanian final with his professional eye.
Ion Tirac's advice
"This young girl has good movement and hits the ball well. But this alone is not enough to get to the top,… the expert predicts. …She must work very hard and, above all, must be surrounded by a competent team. I hope that this will be the case because it is time that our good junior players become good pros.…
"I know he's talking sense. I really believe that winning Roland Garros could be a turning point in my career. I know that a lot of young Romanian juniors have not gone on to become great players, but I think that I can make that happen.… With outstanding self-belief, she already sees herself following in her idol's footsteps. 'Andreï Pavel, my idol, won the Juniors in 1992 before making a fantastic name for himself with the pros. I hope that I will be able to emulate his success.…
By Eric Frosio & Jenny Aitken
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