"Winning here today means a lot" says Halep after win in Melbourne

It was the first singles match for Halep in 2022 and after an initially slow start, she found her rhythm to race past her opponent. Halep looked very good on the court and after an injury-ridden 2021, she is ready to play some meaningful tennis again. She admitted as much saying:

“Last year was very difficult, maybe the toughest in my career, but I'm happy to be back here in Australia. I really have a soft spot in my heart and winning here today, it means a lot and I'm happy to go through.”

Halep has had a chance in philosophy prior to this year adopting a more relaxed outlook on her career and everything related to tennis. The Romanian, who got married a couple of months ago, is unsure what prompted the change in her thinking but turning 30 might be one of the things. Halep also admitted that the prolonged layoff due to injuries sort of helped her:

“I would say that [the time out] helped me to rest a little bit my mind because many years I've been in the top and the pressure was high. I felt a little bit exhausted.”

She will have to play exhausted one more as her 2nd round match will start about 13 hours after the 1st round concluded. Less than ideal scheduling but Halep will manage.