Halep wary of return to action after Coronavirus lockdown: "I feel it on my own skin that it will be a bit difficult for me"
Tennis News
Tennis exhibitions/tournaments are starting to take shape again but for Simona Halep, she is still very much wary about returning due to lack of match practice.
Other players such as Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova are playing tournaments in Czech Republic, while Elina Svitolina will play behind closed doors in July but for Halep, she won't commit to similar right now.
“My longest break before the lockdown has been of 3-4 weeks and [returning to competitions] was very difficult for me. You lose pace, you lose focus … and then physically, if you idle about for a whole week you’ve lost half a year,” Halep said to news agency AGERPRES.
“I don’t know what others have done during this time, maybe some did training runs, maybe they did strength workouts, I don’t know, I can’t assume.
But I feel it on my own skin that it will be a bit difficult for me. It matters a lot that I haven’t had official matches. You can train five hours a day for a whole year, if you are not on an official game, you’re out when you step on court … I mean, you’re not in the game at all. There’s a big difference.”
Halep's time away from the sport has allowed her to evaluate her time away from the tour and that it has given her new perspective.
“I learned a lot from the two-month isolation. I realized that in the last 6 years I’ve been actually on a total lockdown,” she added.
“It occurred to me that I have to change something in my life, in order to also develop on the emotional and personal side. The fact that I’ve been on lockdown for 6 years has helped me become world No. 1, but now, for me to have a happy life without tennis, I am slowly trying to experience new feelings, see something else.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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