	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 17, 2016

Simona Halep

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Physically how do you feel after Sydney?
SIMONA HALEP: I'm much better. I'm okay, I can say. I feel good now. I played many days without pain. So I feel ready to start and hopefully to be healthy till the end.

Q. What do you think you got out of that week in Sydney? What are the positives you take out of that week into the Australian Open?
SIMONA HALEP: First that I had couple of matches, good matches. You know, I came back on tour, to say like that, because I had a big break before, about two months.

Even the third match against Kuznetsova was really good for me. Even if I lost it, I took only the positive from that match. She played really well. I give her the credit that she won.

We could see also in the final that she beat very, very easy.

I come here without expectations. I have only one tournament before this Grand Slam. Actually I feel good. I feel confident.

But you never know. I just have to go on court and stay my chances every time.

Q. What are your goals for the season?
SIMONA HALEP: For my season, just to stay healthy because I started the year not very good. But in tennis, of course, I think to win a Grand Slam, I don't know if it's going to happen this year, but this is my biggest goal. And to have good matches, have good tournaments, and to play everything I want, that I scheduled already.

Q. Can we talk about Serena, No. 1 seed. There's talk she's under a cloud. Do you see that or do you think that's nonsense?
SIMONA HALEP: About Serena?

Q. Injury issues. Do you think she'll be back to her best?
SIMONA HALEP: Yes. I think she has strong enough to do that. Many players have injuries in this period, like you saw.

I know how is to be injured. Is not easy to train. You cannot be 100% on court. But if you play with pain-free, you can come back fast.

I think she will do it, yeah.

Q. You sound a little bit raspy. Are you sick at all?
SIMONA HALEP: I don't thought you don't see it, but you see everything (laughter).

Yeah, I'm a little bit sick, cold, yeah, with my nose. Is nothing dangerous. Is normal. From the air-conditioning.

Q. You said a couple years ago when you were trying to improve your English you were reading books in English. Are you still doing that?
SIMONA HALEP: I have a good book now with my coach. I think I improved a little bit in my English, but I still want to go on. Is not easy for me because I have only one person who I'm speaking, and all the interviews, of course.

But I wanted to get some lessons home, but was no time. I was sick a little bit during the winter and I couldn't. But it's my goal actually, to improve more in my English, yeah.

Q. A lot of non-English speaking people learn it in tennis. How many native English speakers do you know who speak a different language?
SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, not many, because English is the most important. Everywhere you go, you can speak English. That's why maybe the English people are not learning other languages.

I think it's a good thing to know other languages, but is not that very big goal for anyone. I would like to learn many other languages, like Italian. It's easy for us Romanians. We understand pretty much, but not so easy. Spanish I can understand. I love French, but it's tough to speak.

I'm not good with languages. But I try my best only.

Q. The men's tournament seems like it's Djokovic or nothing. Do you feel the women's tournament is very open by comparison?
SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, I think the tournament is open. Everyone has a chance to win this title, I mean from top 10. I think every tournament is open.

In men's, yes, it's a bit different now because Nole is playing his best tennis, I think. But still Roger has a chance. I like Roger a lot, so maybe he's going to win it. But we don't know. We have to wait to see.

Q. Since it's the first slam of the year, a lot of the players haven't played, like the top-10 players, do you pay a little bit more attention to watching the other players watch their matches to kind of know where everyone is to start the season?
SIMONA HALEP: No, no. The same like before. I want to keep this thing on me because it's the most important thing to go on court and just to be focused on yourself, on your game. So I do this.

I still keep it. I just want to stay like this forever.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297