It will be tough to return, admits Halep

Simona Halep has admitted it will be difficult return to competitive tennis after the COVID-19 lockdown.

With no firm plan in place for a return to tournament tennis, Halep told Agerpres she was worried about the challenges all players face.

“My longest break before the lockdown has been of 3-4 weeks and [returning to competitions] was very difficult for me,” Halep said.

“You lose pace, you lose focus, and then physically, if you idle about for a whole week you’ve lost half a year.

Halep said she was unsure what others players have been doing but for her she knows it will be difficult.

“You can train five hours a day for a whole year, if you are not on an official game, you’re not in the game at all. There’s a big difference,” she said.

“I have earned a lot from the isolation. I realised that in the last six years I’ve been actually on a total lockdown.

“It occurred to me that I have to change something in my life, in order to also develop on the emotional and personal side.

“But now, for me to have a happy life without tennis, I am slowly trying to experience new feelings, see something else.”