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AEGON CLASSIC BIRMINGHAMJune 16, 2015Simona HalepBIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND S. HALEP/N. Broady THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How do you feel now? SIMONA HALEP: I feel great. I played well, and when you win in two sets and when you win your first match on grass, it's really good. Gives me confidence. I feel good, and I'm happy that I could serve very well today. Q. Did you feel you came out a bit better prepared? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, I think I'm better prepared. Like I said few days ago, I feel no pressure. Now I have no expectations about myself, so I just want to go on court, play my tennis, play my game, trying to play my game, and do everything to win. Q. (Indiscernible.) SIMONA HALEP: I had just three, four days, and I think was enough for me. Today I felt very well the court, very good. I had good feelings. I played well. I'm happy with my game today. Q. And it's good preparation for Wimbledon being here? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, it is a good preparation for Wimbledon, but first I just want to take this tournament like very important and just to be focused for every match. Q. How did you feel Broady played against you as a Brit? SIMONA HALEP: She's serving really well. She has a big serve. It's really tough to return. But in second set I just kept the feeling, kept the, yeah, timing to return her serves, so it was pretty good in the end. When I made the first break I thought that I can win many more because I started to feel it. Q. You said there is no pressure on you. Just briefly looking ahead to Wimbledon, it was a big breakthrough for you last year. Do you think people will be looking for you to progress and challenge there this year? SIMONA HALEP: No, I don't care about any tournament now. I just want to go to play my game. I had a lot of pressure in French Open, so now I know how to manage this. I just want to go and play, nothing else. Q. Was it then quite good being at the French Open, perversely what happened, because it gave you the opportunity to work out how to deal with something like that, the pressure and perhaps the disappointment? SIMONA HALEP: I was blocked. I couldn't play in French Open. But I played against Lucic where she beat me also in US Open, so it's really tough to play against her. But I didn't play my game, and I was very disappointed that I lost in second round. Then I took some days off and I just wanted to come back stronger and more relaxed. Q. Although you may not have played a lot of grass court tennis in your career, do you feel your natural game translates really very well to this surface? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah. I think yes, I can say that I have the style to play on grass because my style is to play fast. I stay low because I am not very tall, so it helps me to stay there and to take the ball very quickly. I served really well today. I improved a lot in my serve. Now I have to improve more in my return. I returned good today, but still have to improve. So I think, yeah, I play well on grass and it fits on my style. Q. The timing of that first break of serve at 5‑4 was pretty good as well, wasn't it? It was just the right moment to break. SIMONA HALEP: Yeah. I did the break at 4‑All and then I had the serve, and was pretty tough to finish the set. She returns very well few of my serves. I think she thought that she has nothing to lose anymore and just hit the balls. Like I said, she is she strong. She's very tall. On grass it's really difficult because the ball is coming fast and you have no time. So I am happy that I could win against her. I expect a tough match. I knew that she could play well. Q. How do you feel about the much longer break between the clay court Grand Slam and the grass court Grand Slam? Is that a really good thing? What are your thoughts about that? SIMONA HALEP: For me it's good, yeah, because I had more time to rest, relax myself between French Open and grass season. I didn't play the week before. I just came here for my first tournament. So I think for the players who are playing good on grass it's a good schedule. Q. Will you play another week on grass? SIMONA HALEP: No. I play just this tournament and then I go to London. Q. You're in the doubles with Heather tomorrow. SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, tomorrow we play. Q. And you haven't played together before? SIMONA HALEP: No, it's first time. I just want to have one more match on grass and see if we can win. Q. What do you think of Heather as a player? SIMONA HALEP: I played against her once in US Open two years ago I think and was a tough match, about three hours. She's fighting until the end. She's hitting the ball, but not too strong because she's like my height. She's moving pretty well, and, you know, she improves a lot when you play. She opens the court pretty well and the angles, so it's a good player and she can be like 20 easy if she stay there. Q. Do you feel sympathy for her a little bit when there is so much spotlight and everybody is looking at the British players here now and Eastbourne and then Wimbledon? Do you feel sorry for her because everybody is expecting big things? SIMONA HALEP: You know when you are home always is tough to play. Everyone has expectations from you to win the matches, but you feel the pressure and just you cannot play. I feel this when I play Fed Cup in Romania, so I understand that was very tough today for her. And in Wimbledon is tough because she's home also. You know, they have to be just strong mentally and to think just about their game. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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