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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE

October 27, 2016

Simona Halep

Kallang, Singapore

D. CIBULKOVA/S. Halep

6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First things first: How is the knee? When did it flare up? How are you feeling now?
SIMONA HALEP: It's okay, the knee. I don't want to talk about it.

Q. Talk a bit about the match today and your chances.
SIMONA HALEP: Well, I think she played well. With her forehand she was dominating the match and I was very far back I think. I should mixed a little bit more my shots, to play more wide, and to make her run.

I tried, but not enough. Was not enough to win the match, to win the set, second set. But mentally I was fighting until the end, so I'm okay with the match, with the way that the match went.

But not happy because I lost it.

Q. I know you said you don't want to talk about the knee, but how tough is it when you know a part of you is not working as you wish and you're still so close to making it happen?
SIMONA HALEP: It's very tough. It's disappointing. It's life. I have to take it. I'm not let's say very disappointed because I didn't qualify. I came here; I gave everything I had. That's what I could do this tournament, and I will look forward for the next year.

Q. In terms of being able to turn that match around, especially in the second set, do you think that it was pure tactics that could have gotten you back into the match or a little bit of luck here and there, few points here and there? What do you think?
SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, I think she saw that backhand is not very strong because of the leg. Was not easy for me to push.

But, yeah, she played well. I think she played good tennis and she deserves to win. She was dominating, hitting all the balls, so it was good for her.

Q. The way that your tournament ended I guess do you walk away thinking of your season any differently than before the tournament started?
SIMONA HALEP: No, not really, because this tournament was a bonus for me. At the middle of the year I said that I cannot qualify because I was very far after four months, tough four months.

But once I qualified I say that it's a bonus, and I have just to give everything I have. I didn't have enough to qualify in the semis, but it was a good experience again, third year in a row, so it's a good thing.

I'm not sad that I lost. Of course it's tough, but nothing changes.

Q. Everybody is kind of beating each other both in the red group and the white group. What do you think that says about where the tour is right?
SIMONA HALEP: Kuznetsova is on fire. I saw her match last night. She's incredible. Coming from Moscow and she did a great job there; she's doing here a great job. I see her winning actually. I hope she has enough power to do that. Everyone is playing good tennis.

As I said at the beginning of the tournament, before the tournament, everyone can win it. You can see now that everyone is beating each other. Kerber has a good chance to win.

I think still the tournament is open. We will see. I will watch from home the final. (Smiling.)

Q. Where do you do go from here? Well-deserved holiday? What's the first thing you'll do?
SIMONA HALEP: Home to see my niece, to see my family, and to chill, to do nothing. Yeah, like days in a row do nothing.

Q. How many days before you finally go mad and decide you've got to do something?
SIMONA HALEP: Maybe ten days I'm thinking now and then I go to the gym, but tennis for sure almost three weeks.

Q. Darren sent out a tweet with you kicking the ball in practice, the AFL tweet. Are you going to practice and do your pre-season down in Australia? Is that the plan?
SIMONA HALEP: Yeah. Now I don't know for sure when I'm leaving, but I the plan is to go to Australia in December. Before he is coming in Romania, so we will mixed.

Q. What was the decision making, the reasoning?
SIMONA HALEP: To change something and get used to that time, weather, before Australia, before Shenzhen and before Australia.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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