In a recent video interview with the Associated Press from her home in Bucharest, Simona Halep discussed the anxiety and mental pressure she faced upon returning to the tour after battling a doping ban. She emphasized that while she has been cleared of wrongdoing, the experience has left a lasting impact on her psyche.
“What I went through is not easy. So I cannot forget, like this,” the former world No.1 said, snapping her fingers, “just because I got cleared. There is baggage that probably will stay longer, and I cannot forget, like, one day (to the next) what happened. So I have to handle it better. I have to control my emotions coming back. So there is a (lot) that is not easy. But the joy, I hope, will help me.”
When she arrived at the Miami Open for her first tournament after the ban, Halep admitted feeling nervous. “I felt like I don’t know what to expect from people (in Miami),” she said. “How it’s going to be — to be in the locker room again. Players’ dining (area). All this routine that I didn’t do for almost two years, it looked new for me.” Despite her initial apprehensions, the 32-year-old found the experience to be very pleasant, feeling welcomed and as though she hadn’t been away for so long.
Not even criticism here and there could ruin…
