Simona Halep Lays Down Her Conditions for Australian Open 2021

Simona Halep has a bittersweet run over the past few months, winning two titles but crashing out of Roland Garros in the Round of 16. The Romanian has set her sights on the 2021 Australian Open next, but will only participate if the bubble is as good as the one organized by French Open 2020.

The organizers at Roland Garros did not enjoy a smooth tournament as there were hurdles at the start. However, they managed to overcome them and conclude the tournament in a grand manner. The way they tackled the problems deserves a mention, and Halep was extremely pleased with the bubble. 

Speaking about the Australian Open, Halep knows that it is going to be a bubble of similar sorts. The two-time Grand Slam champion skipped Flushing Meadows but entered the French Open. “I think that in Australia it’s going to be 14 days’ [quarantine], but it’s going to be a bubble,” Halep said. 

“So it’s not that you have to stay 14 days just in a room – because if you do that you cannot play after 14 days without training. But if it’s a bubble like it was in Paris, I’m open and I’m going,” she added. 

The first Major of 2021 is tentatively set to begin on January 18. But no one knows for sure about the conditions that’ll prevail in the upcoming months. Considering the sudden shift in normalcy, Simona Halep has “no idea” if she’ll even compete. “It’s too early,” she mentioned. 

How did Simona Halep react to her crushing French Open 2020 defeat?

When the tournament began in Paris last month, Simona Halep stood tall as the favorite. She entered Roland Garros on the back of a tremendous run, winning titles in Rome and Prague. However, a fiery teenager who goes by the name of Iga Swiatek stormed past her. 

Swiatek beat Halep in straight sets to register one of the massive upsets in this year’s edition. Moreover, the Polish talent went on to win Roland Garros and create history. For Halep, it was a bitter ending to a promising journey. 

“It was a fantastic year with all the tough moments that we all had, so I’m not going to ruin the whole year just for a match. Of course, it’s not easy to take, but I’m used to some tough moments in this career,” Halep said after the match. 

It was pretty amazing to see her react in a super-calm manner to such a huge loss. However, she clearly defined how moments like these are meant to happen and that it is normal in the life of a competitor.