‘Actually Darren Pushed Me’ – Simona Halep Reveals Why She Joined Serena Williams’ Coach’s Academy

Simona Halep has had turbulent times over the past few months. It’s no hidden fact that one of the reasons for this is her split with her long-time coach, Darren Cahill. The two mutually ended their successful six-year partnership. Furthermore, Halep had become one of the most dominating players on the women’s circuit during that period. She had climbed to the top of the WTA rankings, with a couple of Grand Slam titles to her kitty.

The Romanian worked with Daniel Dobre and Adrian Marcu after ending the partnership with the Australian coach. However, their stint didn’t last long as they parted ways following Halep’s shock Australian Open loss. Recently, the 30-year-old is training at Patrick Mouratoglou’s academy. Halep has thrown light on why she joined Serena Williams’ coach’s academy.

Simona Halep opens up on why she joined Patrick Mouratoglou’s academy

The former World Number 1 is in Indian Wells, where she is participating at the BNP Paribas Open. She won her second-round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets. Further, during the post-match press conference, she revealed why she joined Mouratoglou’s academy in France.

DIVE DEEPER: Andy Murray Achieves an Incredible Milestone in Indian Wells – Becomes the Fourth Active ATP Player After Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic to Complete 700 Career Wins

Talking about it, she said, “Actually Darren pushed me to go there because he respects Patrick a lot and he told me that he’s the best choice for me because it’s also close to my home.” Moreover, she added, “It was a great great week over there and I really enjoyed it. It’s amazing what he has done there, many kids, the atmosphere was super super nice and actually, I’ve seen those kids that are dreaming to become a professional tennis player so it was a nice vibe and I can say that I took what I needed from there. It was important to go there.”

Opening up on her partnership with Darren Cahill, she said, “I didn’t have long relationships with the other coaches, only with Darren and definitely there was the most important person for my career.”

WATCH THIS STORY: The Greatest Comebacks in Tennis

Further, Halep has made a strong start at the BNP Paribas Open. She will next take on the 16th seed, Coco Gauff, in the third round. Can Halep dig deep in Indian Wells this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.