"Injury is not bothering me, so I'm happy to be in this place" - Simona Halep after her US Open 2r win
Simona Halep fended off a gutsy effort from lucky loser Kristina Kucova to register a 6-3, 6-1 win in the second round of the 2021 US Open on Wednesday. Halep is now into the Round of 32 at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2016.
The Romanian has come into the New York Major on the back of an injury-stricken year. A tear in her calf muscle kept her away for close to three months, before a recent injury to the adductor forced her to withdraw from the Cincinnati event.
In her post-match press conference, Simona Halep gave an update on her injuries and how she's been feeling physically. She revealed there is no pain anymore and that she is feeling better with every passing day.
"Injury is not bothering me, so I'm happy to be in this place, and I'm looking forward to getting better. Hopefully I can touch again my highest level," Halep said. "I feel happy that I feel good, no pain, no struggling anymore with the mental part. So I'm just happy to be on court and trying my best to win every match I play."
"I don't feel pain anymore, so that's a very good sign," she added. "Mentally it's better, because I get confidence every match. I feel like every match is helping me, and it's really important that I already have two victories."
Initially slated to play on Court 17, Simona Halep was shifted to Arthur Ashe Stadium at the last minute since Naomi Osaka's second-round opponent withdrew. Halep admitted to feeling the pressure of playing in the famous stadium, but claimed she was confident enough to get her game in fine shape once she took to the court.
"I'm really happy that I could hit the ball strong, I could move very well, and I had confidence even if I felt the pressure a little bit of playing on Arthur Ashe," Halep said. "It was a good day, and I'm happy that I already have two wins and looking forward for the third round."
The World No. 13 was also asked to comment on her third-round matchup against 19th seed Elena Rybakina. In reply, Halep recalled her intense three-set victory over the Kazakh in the Dubai final last year.
The Romanian admitted that facing Rybakina would be a challenge, but she believes she has a chance:
"She's very powerful and it's been almost two years since we played. It was a very tough match. I don't want that again," the 29-year-old joked. "I know it's going to be a big challenge for me.
"She has played a lot this year, and also, she has confidence," Halep added. "She's very young so has nothing to lose. But I'm also coming after injury, so I'm here just to take it as it is and give myself a chance to believe that it is always possible to win a match."
"Hopefully one of us can win a hardcourt Slam" - Simona Halep on Ashleigh Barty, Garbine Muguruza and herself
Simona Halep was also asked if she has an explanation for why she and two of her peers - Ashleigh Barty and Garbine Muguruza - have been unable to win a hardcourt Slam. All three of them have won a Major on each of the natural surfaces (clay and grass), but have repeatedly come up short at the Australian Open and US Open.
The Romanian replied that all three have different playing styles, before claiming it's "probably a matter of time" before one of them wins a hardcourt Slam.
"I think we also have different styles of tennis," Halep said. "Me and Ash [Ashleigh Barty] probably a little bit more similar because we have the same height. But Garbine [Muguruza] is playing much more powerful. Hopefully one of us can win a hardcourt Grand Slam."
"It's nice to be in this top three," she added. "They are very nice players. They are very nice persons. But also we won big tournaments on hard, so probably it's a matter of time and we have just to wait and to believe that it's gonna come."