US OPEN

August 30, 2021

Simona Halep

Press Conference

S. HALEP/C. Giorgi

6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Just tell us your thoughts about today's match and advancing past round 1 now.

SIMONA HALEP: Well, first, I'm super happy that I could win the match. It was really important, because I had a long period of being home and no official matches.

I struggled a little bit in the end to finish the match, but I'm happy that actually I have been strong enough in the end, in the second set, to finish the match.

Yeah, I'm happy to be in the second round here.

Q. Obviously that's a great return to the majors today. How do you think you served? Your percentage was so good, just those two games she broke back and able to pull out a tiebreaker.

SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, I served well also the previous tournaments, so I feel a little bit stronger there. I worked a lot in the break when I couldn't actually move that much because of the leg.

So I did practice a lot of serves. Yeah, at 5-4 I felt the pressure. Because I don't have many matches, I felt sick a little bit because I knew actually I have to finish the match because in three sets would be a little bit tougher.

But, you know, I'm happy that I can see my serve improving, and I can win some easy points with it. So I have been looking for it many years, but now finally I can feel it stronger.

Q. In terms of your lead-up to the US Open, obviously you were dealing with a bit of a leg issue and obviously lack of match play. What does a win like today mean to you simply because also with Giorgi winning in Montreal, seemed like another bad-luck first-round draw for you in New York?

SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, and first match at 11:00 was not good for my mind before, but I knew that she's with confidence, a lot of confidence coming after a big victory in Montreal, like you said. I knew she had confidence, I knew she's playing super fast and deep, so I had to be strong on my legs. I'm struggling with the legs lately.

But, you know, I think I have been very positive on court. I have been very, you know, like confident that I have the game to play a good match, and I believed that I have a chance.

So I fought for it, and I'm pleased with the way I handled the important moments.

Q. As a fellow major winner, what are your observations of Ash Barty this year and how she sustained her level to stay at No. 1 as long as she has?

SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, she's amazing. She has that calm in every time she plays, and I think that helps her to just win the matches even if she doesn't play her best tennis. Mentally she's very strong, and also the game. She's changing the rhythm, the slice helps her a lot, serve is super good.

So I think she has everything, and that's why she's able to stay there that long and to win titles.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the atmosphere out there and having fans, how that changes things, what it felt like to be out there in a crowd.

SIMONA HALEP: Well, last year I didn't play here, so for me it was normal to have the people in the stands and the noise that is always in US Open. I started to like it. I start to embrace these things. I had fun on court, and I liked some people that were screaming in Romanian also and in English (smiling). I had big support. I heard a few people that were close to me.

Q. In general as we have had this weird year and a half, sometimes in empty...

SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, it's very weird, and we missed a lot the people in the crowd. You cannot compare the atmosphere. It's much better. You feel the energy. You feel alive on court.

So, yeah, hopefully we'll stay like that forever now (smiling).

Q. On the leg, you seemed to be moving very well out there. Similarly in Montreal you moved well in that Collins match. How much of a concern is it? It's taped up. Is this preventive or something you have to manage a lot this week?

SIMONA HALEP: I practiced once a few days ago without the tape, about 30 minutes, and I felt the pain again. So probably it's mentally more, but also I have the injury there. So it's better to have it. I talked to the physios, WTA physios, and they advised me to keep it. So I will play with it.

Q. You were just talking about getting used to playing in New York from your early days. What turned it around for you? Did you just work on that yourself? Was it Darren? Was it the rest of the team that convinced you that you should be able to embrace it?

SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, we discussed a lot about this. And also, I worked with myself handling this better, experience. I lost few times in the first round here, so I got a little bit of the experience from those moments. There is no other way. So I have to accept it. I have to like it and to be part of it.

So the pressure is not that big in the negative way. I take it positive, and I like when people have energy during the matches. So it's good.

Q. How would you describe the challenges and frustrations of 2021, given what you have had to battle through?

SIMONA HALEP: Well, yeah. It's been the biggest challenge on the health part. The biggest injury that I ever had, the calf. I didn't know maybe how to handle it. At the beginning I got a little bit down about it. Then I rushed being ready for Wimbledon, because I wanted so badly to play Wimbledon. But I think I forced those two weeks and then I had to stay another four.

Yeah, it was something new, and now I can say I have learned something from that. And when I feel a little pain, I stop and I try to recover as much as possible.

Q. That's what you learned?

SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, that I have an age now, 30 almost (smiling) and, yeah, everybody who told me that it's normal at 29, 30, it's normal to have this injury. So it's normal.

Q. I wonder if I could ask you about the Australian Open. I know it's many months away, and we don't know what the arrangements are going to be yet, but I wonder, do you think if the arrangements are similar to what they were this year that many players will be prepared to do that same quarantine?

SIMONA HALEP: Depends. If it's going to be the hard quarantine again on the list, I think not many players will come, in my opinion. For me will be tough to come if I know that if I'm unlucky in the plane and I get a positive person, I have to hard quarantine, that's too much.