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ROLAND GARROSMay 31, 2014Simona HalepPARIS, FRANCE S. HALEP/M. Torro‑Flor THE MODERATOR: Questions in English. Q. Are you surprised that your matches are going so easy for you and that you're playing well? You seem to be enjoying it. How come. How do you feel about that? SIMONA HALEP: Thank you. I feel really great now, because I won in two sets also. Third match here where I played really good tennis. It's not a surprise, because I'm more confident now in myself, and I feel the ball really good here in French Open. I love this tournament. I love to be here. Yeah, like you said, I'm enjoying the moment now. It's my best of my career, and I have to be happy on court and to fight for my chance. Q. How does it feel to go this far at this French Open? SIMONA HALEP: Well, I did quarterfinals in Australian Open, and now is not something new for me. I'm trying to do my best always and to fight for every match. I'm happy to be for first time in fourth round here in Paris, so I hope not will be the first and the last (smiling). So I'm happy. Q. It's still first week of Roland Garros, a Grand Slam, but at this point you are the highest‑ranking player remaining in this tournament. How do you feel about that? How do you think it happens? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, the first three seeded, they lost. That's a surprise for everyone. Is not easy to be the first seeded now during the tournament. But I try just to keep out from me the pressure and just to play every match, because here the Grand Slam every match is difficult. So is not easy to say that I will play semifinals or finals. I just take day by day and match by match. Next round will be very tough. I played against her in Australia a few years ago, I think, and she beat me very fast. Now I think I'm more prepared than that moment, and I will try my best and of course I will fight for win. Q. You just mentioned Sloane. What is tough about her game for you? What do you think are her strengths? SIMONA HALEP: I remember that she's very strong. She's a strong player. She hits the ball so very strong. She moves well, and she's a great player. She's very young, and she's playing good tennis at this moment. So it will be tough. I expect a tough match, but I have confidence in myself that I can take the revenge (smiling). Q. Is Virginia still a part of your team? SIMONA HALEP: Yes, she's my manager. Q. Can you tell us what can you learn from such a player? She's the only Grand Slam player from Romania, right? SIMONA HALEP: Yes, she won here in Paris a lot of years ago (smiling). So the tennis was different at that moment, so I don't speak about tennis too much with her, but she give me some advances like no more pressure, no pressure, you don't have to put pressure on yourself. Because if you have pressure, you are not relaxed and you cannot play your best. So I speak with her about these things, and she helps me. Q. So she helps you with the more mental aspects of the game? SIMONA HALEP: Yes. Q. You talk a lot about your inner confidence. You're still young. Your career went very quick. But where do you get your inner confidence from? Is it in the genes? Is it in the family? SIMONA HALEP: I am not that young (smiling). More players are younger than me now at this level. So I have more confidence because I have very good team close to me. And also my family, they are always with me. Some are very close friends, family friends. Everybody supporting me. I feel stronger now than last year, and I started to play more aggressive like I did in juniors at one moment when I won here. So I found my good way to play, and I found a way to be relaxed on court and just to take the pleasure without pressure. Because, as I said, it's easier to play without pressure and to take just the pleasure on court. Q. Virginia speaks French. I think your coach speaks French, too. SIMONA HALEP: Yes. Q. Do you speak a little bit French? SIMONA HALEP: No (smiling). But I will learn, I hope. Q. You just said that you're not that young, but relatively, you're younger than the other top players, of course. Before this tournament, we were talking about how like women's tennis get older, like age 22 and 23 can dominate in this level. But now like you and Genie and Muguruza, this kind of younger generation came up and may be knocking on the door. Do you feel like this is the tournament or moment that you guys, younger generation, can make a new achievement? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, it's tough question, because also Maria is also still playing here, great champion. Even if the top seeds lost here, they are still very good players and they are working every day and they are playing really good tennis. So, yeah, maybe it's a moment for us, because we are younger and we play more relaxed on court. We want to be like great champion at all the tournaments. Is not easy for us, but I think it's easier than older players. Q. Romania has a tradition of being a great tennis country in Nastase, Tiriac. How is the support back home? Are they following you now more than before? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, always. Q. Is there a lot of interest in you? SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, they are supporting me a lot, everybody from Romania. We are a small country, but we are a good country. I love to be there and I love to live there. Also, Mr.Tiriac is coming to see my matches here also. And in Madrid he helped me a lot with some wildcards in the past. Nastase, I saw him today. So they are coming and they give me now more advices how to manage this level in tennis. I want to thank them, because they are close to me, and of course they give me more confidence. Q. What is the best part of your country? What's the coolest thing about Romania? SIMONA HALEP: What is the best part? Q. The best part... SIMONA HALEP: Because I'm from Romania (smiling). I don't know. I love my country. I feel good there, and we had good coaches. We have good coaches. I am 100% made from Romania, and I'm really happy. We have also some clubs to practice. Yeah, I love my country, so I speak very good about it, and, yeah, what can I say? I hope to remain there. I want to live there still. Q. When you travel the circuit, what is your favorite tournament and what is your favorite city? SIMONA HALEP: I have more favorite tournaments now because I played really well. In Rome also last year, Madrid now, here, Paris, because I won in juniors first. I did the first time quarterfinals in Grand Slam in Australia, so I like Australia. I feel every country has something special, and I feel really good everywhere. Q. As you have had more success, you have had to work on your English a lot, too, off the court. Can you talk about that? Because it certainly has improved in the last year. SIMONA HALEP: Do you think (smiling)? Q. Yes. SIMONA HALEP: I don't think. I want to improve more. I speak better than last year, but I have ‑‑I still have to learn. Now I speak more with my coach in English, and it's good. The TVs, sometimes, and now I started to read a book in English. Harry Potter (laughter). Q. Sloane, for whatever reason, really seems to elevate her game at the slams. You're a little more consistent. How do you approach entering each tournament no matter where it is? SIMONA HALEP: I didn't understand. Q. Sloane does very well in Grand Slams. SIMONA HALEP: In Grand Slams, yes. Q. How do you approach every tournament no matter whether it's a major or a lesser tournament? SIMONA HALEP: For me, the Grand Slam, it's different because I feel more pressure here. We have four Grand Slams and four very big tournaments, but now I just started to manage the emotions like every tournament. I don't want to take this one more different. I played Madrid, my biggest final, and I felt that here I can take this tournament like in Madrid, because was almost the same. Is not easy. They are playing better at Grand Slams like Bouchard, also, she did semifinals, great result, also Sloane, she played really well at Grand Slams. I started to play well now this year, so I hope to improve more at Grand Slams and to go far. Q. What is the book you're reading in English? SIMONA HALEP: Harry Potter. Q. You're obviously the highest seed left in the draw. I was wondering if you care at all which courts you play on. Does it matter at all? The fans seem to focus on but most players don't. SIMONA HALEP: No, I don't care where I play. But court No. 2 I played the final in 2008, and I had good memories there. I'm happy that I could win today and probably next round play on big stadium. I'm enjoying everywhere where I play, and just I want to stay focused for what I have to do on court. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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