Icon In Her Country, I Have Nothing But Respect For Her': Banned Halep Praised By Former Coach

Darren Cahill once again expressed his support for Simona Halep after her doping ban.

The former world No. 1 is going through difficult times after her suspension from the WTA Tour for four years due to two anti-doping rule violations. Simona Halep has already announced that she will challenge the ruling in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, so she will await a new decision.

In the Advantage Connors podcast wth the American former world No. 1 Jimmy Connors, Darren Cahill commented on the situation of his former protege and showered praise on the 2-time Grand Slam champion

“An amazing lady with 20 million in Romania who basically idolizes her. She is an icon in the country and feeling and sensing that pressure from that country to have a breakthrough and Grand Slam success, be the No. 1 player in the world, and find a way to put that to one side and accomplish that. I have nothing but respect for her,” claimed Cahill.

“So I enjoyed every piece of those years that we spent together. She backed it up in 2019 by winning the Wimbledon final and playing incredibly well through the semis and final. I think the best match she ever played was against Serena (Williams) in that final,” he added.

Halep, who will turn 32 on September 27, has been out of competition for over a year since she was defeated in the first round of the 2022 US Open by Daria Snigur.

After a year filled with injuries that affected her ranking, the Romanian reached world No. 6 with a great 2022 season in which she won the Canadian Open and also reached the Wimbledon semifinals, a tournament that did not award points and could have brought her even closer to the top of the WTA rankings.