"Simona Halep wanted me to be miserable" - Darren Cahill opens up about 'worst' coaching moment of his career
Simona Halep's former coach, Darren Cahill recently opened up about what he felt was the 'worst coaching moment of his career' and admitted how a strategy he used backfired and left the Romanian tennis star unhappy. Cahill worked with Halep for three years from 2016-2019 and guided her to her maiden Grand Slam title when she won the French Open in 2018.
The moment that Cahill referred to came in the period after the Romanian's loss to Jelena Ostapenko at the 2017 French Open final. Halep was up a set and a break in the final but let the lead slip away as Ostapenko won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Cahill was aware of the immense pressure Halep was facing to become the first Romanian woman tennis player to win a Grand Slam.
Speaking on the Tennis Insider Club podcast, Cahill recalled how Halep was feeling miserable, but he chose to remain positive and upbeat, which went on to backfire.
"I was showing no empathy. I wasn't suffering with her. I was suffering, but I wasn't showing it. I was positive. And she wanted me to be miserable like she was. But it is true because misery loves misery in the tough moments. And all she wanted to see from me was that I was feeling as bad as she was," he said (41:00 onwards).
Cahill realized that his positive outlook did not help as Halep was only feeling worse, and it took an intervention from Halep's physical trainer to realize that he was using the wrong approach.
"I walked over to her the next day, I said it’s all on me, the last eight weeks is on me. I made some mistakes - tried to be positive and whatnot but I know you’re suffering. And I started having tears, she was crying, I hugged her and she goes 'I’ve been waiting for this hug for three months!'"
That moment turned things around for Simona Halep as she avenged her 2017 US Open loss to Maria Sharapova by beating the Russian at the China Open soon after.
Simona Halep announced her retirement in February 2025
Simona Halep made a shock retirement announcement last month after losing in the first round of the Transylvania Open. Halep brought an end to her incredible career that saw her clinch the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019. The 33-year-old won 24 singles titles on the WTA Tour and clinched 45 top-10 wins in her illustrious career:
"It’s a beautiful thing. I became World No. 1, I won Grand Slams, it’s all I wanted. Life goes on, there is life after tennis and I hope that we will see each other again. I’ll come to the tennis here as often as I can and of course I will continue to play – but to be competitive it requires much more and at this moment it is no longer," Simona Halep said.
Despite facing a doping suspension in 2022, Halep will go down as one of the best players of her generation and Romania's best-ever female tennis player.