"I waited two years to be back in Madrid," says Simona Halep

Simona Halep will be one of the biggest favorites to lift the trophy in Madrid as she's the third-seeded at the 2021 Madrid Open.

Almost every time Simona Halep came to Madrid she made a great result. The Romanian became a champion in 2016 and 2017 and reached the quarterfinals in 2018 and final in 2019. This year, she will be trying to add a good result again as she faces Sara Sorribes Tormo in the first round.

“We have to be thankful that these tournaments are happening. It’s a privilege actually to be playing in these times, these hard times that we are going through." On playing against Sorribes Tormo in the first round, she said: It’s a tough match. I played against her in the French Open last year. I know that she loves clay. It’s going to be a tough battle”, Halep predicted.