DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 18, 2022

Simona Halep

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

J. OSTAPENKO/S. Halep

2-6, 7-6, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Not the results you were hoping for. Walk us through the match a little bit and your thoughts.

SIMONA HALEP: It was a tough match. As I said before, is going to be a tough battle. Was a good match. I kind of stopped playing after the second set. That is the only one moment that I'm disappointed. But the rest I think was a good game.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What do you think happened after the second set? Was it disappointment of the tiebreak or something else?

SIMONA HALEP: I lost the focus a little bit. Probably I need more matches in tension to get more used to it.

Nothing happened really. I just mentally stopped playing and I didn't make anything anymore.

Q. Talk us through the third set, what happened there, how your body was physically.

SIMONA HALEP: Physically I'm okay. I have no pain. I was really good.

But, yeah, I just said that I stopped playing. The focus was not there anymore. Yeah, it finished fast.

Q. What are the positives you get out of this week? Are you able to look at that now or are you disappointed?

SIMONA HALEP: No, I'm happy with the week I played here. The game was good. Everything was good. I never expect to win all the matches because it's just the beginning of the year and I'm really patient with myself.

But it's a big plus this tournament for me. I'm looking forward actually for the next one already.

Q. Jelena has been having a good year recently. Is there something particularly you find difficult in her game?

SIMONA HALEP: I was there. I was very close to win it. I don't really say that it's impossible to win against her.

Just, yeah, the third set was not what I wished because I was not in my terms. Like I said few times already, I stopped playing. That is not so good.

But I'm not going to ruin everything just for that set. I just look forward for the next one and I see only the positives.