Halep on dealing with pressure after Grand Slam success

Simona Halep reached the final of the French Open in 2014 and spoke recently to Behind the Racquet about dealing with the pressure and what she has done since then to combat this as she had more success.

“In 2014, tennis changed my life. I played in my first Grand Slam final at the French Open. No one in Romania had reached a Grand Slam final since 1978. Emotions exploded and everyone had high hopes for my future. They started to believe I could win a Grand Slam. I became popular overnight," said Halep to Behind the Racquet.

People recognized me on the streets and asked for pictures and autographs. This was a big change and was tough to manage but I learned many things during this time. I tried to enjoy the attention but it was stressful because it took a lot of energy. I did not want to lose focus on my career. I tried to find a balance. I was generous and open with fans but stayed focused on the hard work needed to earn results on court.⁣
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At first, I felt I had to show the world I could keep winning. This feeling motivated me to improve every day but was always in my mind. Over the past few years, I have improved in the way I deal with both negative and positive aspects of pressure.

I embrace pressure after a big win. I face the pressure and try not to base my tennis life on success. I want to win matches and tournaments but I have learned you do not have to put success first.

The most important thing is hard work. If you give one hundred percent, you have no cause for regret. I have never been scared of failure. If you do not succeed, you were not good enough so you must work harder.”