‘I was a little worried’ about tennis return, admits Simona Halep after winning WTA title No 21

Simona Halep returned to title-winning ways as she won the Prague Open, but she admits playing tennis under the “all the restrictions and rules” is “a little stressful”.
Playing in her first tournament since the sport returned following the enforced break due to the coronavirus pandemic, the two-time Grand Slam champion held off Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-5 to win her 21st WTA Tour title.
Halep, who won the Dubai title in February, had struggled during opening few rounds to find her rhythm, but she was in good shape during the one-hour and 33-minute win in the final.
Top seed @Simona_Halep wins her 21st career WTA singles title 🏆 and her first of the summer ☀️
Halep defeats Mertens, 6-2, 7-5, to claim the @tennispragueopn trophy! pic.twitter.com/euUERFlEQG
— wta (@WTA) August 16, 2020
The Romanian broke three times in both sets, but Mertens did get one break in the first set and two in the second.
“I was a little worried at the beginning but here we felt very safe, and all the restrictions and rules were respected – we can do tournaments like this week, I feel it’s a big chance for us to participate again,” Halep said after the win. “It’s very different and a little stressful and we have to adjust ourselves, but the fact that everyone was good these 10 days means that everything was really well done.”
She added: “I’m very pleased about the way I was adjusting my game to her game.
“At the beginning I was hitting too strong, too flat and she was quicker than me and playing closer to the baseline. I tried to change the rhythm, played a little bit higher and further from her body, and it was much better.”
The world No 2 also confirmed that she would make a decision on Monday on whether or not she will play at the US Open.
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official.
Latest
-
French Open
John McEnroe labels French Open boo crews targeting Novak Djokovic as ‘absurd’
John McEnroe feels that the crowd have gone in on Novak Djokovic time and again even when he has done nothing wrong.
-
French Open
Novak Djokovic fights off Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in French Open slugfest
Djokovic needed three hours and 36 minutes to complete the straight-sets victory.
-
News
Aryna Sabalenka avoiding regular media duties citing mental health concerns
The Belarusian said she “did not feel safe” after an exchange with a Ukrainian journalist on Wednesday.
-
Tennis News
‘My favourite has always been Roger Federer, but Novak Djokovic will end up winning more’
Lorenzo Musetti on Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
-
French Open
Bianca Andreescu inspired by grandmother’s wish
Bianca Andreescu is upbeat about her chances of staying fit and winning another Grand Slam.
-
French Open
John McEnroe applauds feisty Taylor Fritz – ‘I love that. I like to see a little confrontation’
Unsurprisingly, John McEnroe enjoyed Taylor Fritz’s antics at Roland Garros.
-
French Open
‘Tennis must protect Mirra Andreeva as we need girls like her’
Ons Jabeur a big fan of Mirra Andreeva.
-
French Open
Follow the 2023 French Open with T365’s scores and results centre…
Catch the action from Roland Garros…
-
French Open
WATCH: Taylor Fritz goes into villain mode as he hushes booing French crowd
Taylor Fritz fought fire with fire at Roland Garros.
-
Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz will have ‘Tiger Woods effect’ on tennis and is a notch above Big Three in one aspect
“Tennis players – especially on the men’s side – are going to start making way more money because of Carlos Alcaraz.”