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WIMBLEDONJune 21, 2014Simona HalepLONDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How have the last two weeks been for you since the final? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, I had very good two weeks. I was home with my family, with my friends. I was in Constanta actually. I spend a lot of time with them. We celebrated a little bit. Not big party, but just with the family. I started then to practice again. Was too short for me. But after this tournament I have one more in Bucharest, and then I will take a holiday. So I will have time to celebrate the final. Q. What was the reaction in Romania like? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, it was amazing feeling when I arrived home, because they stopped the plane just on the red carpet at the airport and everybody was waiting for me, about 300 fans. I went to them and I said hello, many things there. They ask me many things. Yeah, was incredible. For me was the best moment of my life. Was incredible. I will never forget that moment. Q. Were you able to put aside the disappointment of losing the match immediately and just enjoy, or did it take some time? SIMONA HALEP: No, immediately after I was crying on court. I said that I have to be happy because I played the biggest final of my career, Grand Slam final. So it was incredible result for me and I just have to be happy about what happened. Q. And physically how are you doing after withdrawing? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, I feel okay. I was very tired ‑ more mentally, and also physical a little bit. But in 's‑Hertogenbosch I had the contracted muscle here, down the shoulder, but now I feel good. I had a good recovery. I have my physio with me. Every day he worked on the muscle. Now I feel good and I think I'm 100% to start this tournament. Q. Obviously you won 's‑Hertogenbosch last year, so you must be okay with grass. How do you feel about this surface overall? SIMONA HALEP: Last year was a little bit strange because I came from clay court and I won on grass court. Was very special for me, that title. I feel good on grass. I play good. I like because the balls are coming fast and the game is faster than clay court and than hard court. Yeah, it's something different, and we have to be very focused during the game, during the point. Here are more bad bounces because the court is grass and is not easy to move and to wait the ball. But, I mean, I feel good, and I have just to enjoy every match here. Q. When you played in Paris, when you started the French Open, you hadn't been past the second round, but you made the final. You haven't been past the second round here either. Mentally are you the same coming into Wimbledon as you came into the French? Do you believe you can win here? SIMONA HALEP: I didn't believe before French Open that I can play final. I'm honest when I say this. Here I came with more confidence in myself, but still I just want to take match by match, because is something different here, is other surface, and is difficult. The Grand Slams are very difficult tournaments because everyone is playing really good. Every match, it's tough. But I'm looking forward to go very far in this tournament and to give everything I can at the moment on court. Q. Does it feel any different because you're defending titles from last year? Does it feel like the second lap of a race where you have to do things differently? SIMONA HALEP: No, I don't think too much about this. I won Doha this year. I played quarterfinals in Australia. I played final in Roland Garros; Madrid also. I think I have a lot of points now. I don't have to defend the titles, but I would like to defend because it's really nice to win a tournament. So I will play again New Haven this year and I will look forward to prepare that tournament very good to win again. But is not easy to do the same thing in the second year. Q. What do you think when you see the rankings and you see No.3? That's a pretty good number. SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, it is. A few years ago I was looking at the rankings on Internet, and I saw I was fourth page. I said my dream is to be on first page. So now I am there, and I am really happy. I cannot be sad that I lose some matches. I want just to enjoy this moment and to try to improve more in my game and to be maybe second or first. But it's difficult. I am still far. Q. What do you have to do differently on grass? SIMONA HALEP: To move better and to stay more low, lower on the legs, because the ball doesn't bounce too much. I have to be very fast. I have to be aggressive again, close to the baseline, and to open the angles. Because here is the most important thing, to open the court, to make the opponent run. I will see. I have to serve good here, so many things. But I feel good here and I think I will play good here. Q. Is this your first time in this room? SIMONA HALEP: Yes, first. Q. What do you think of it? SIMONA HALEP: It's very big. It's nice. I hope to be here many times of this tournament. Q. Does it feel very sudden? Because last year you were unseeded here and this year you're No.3. SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, is big difference. But, you know, I played really well and I feel good that I am here. I feel that I deserve because I won many titles and many matches against top players. So I think that my place is here, and I have to do everything to stay more here. Q. What is the biggest change in your life from last year to this year? SIMONA HALEP: The big change is that everybody knows me now and a lot of people are speaking about me and are watching me. In Romania all the press, every day they are watching me. I don't know why. It's a little bit difficult, but I want just to stay very far of this and just to keep focus my mental for the tennis. I just want to think about tennis now and nothing else. Q. In terms of the paparazzi in Romania? SIMONA HALEP: Not paparazzi, but every day they have news about me. I don't know what new, but they know about my life, so... Q. Did you do any shopping? SIMONA HALEP: I didn't have time. I stayed home with my friends and my family. But I will do shopping. I have enough time. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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