© Getty Images Sport – Brennan Asplen
Simona Halep has found a new coach as the two-time Grand Slam champion is set to start working with Spanish coach Carlos Martinez.
After winning her doping ban appeal and being cleared to return to tennis earlier this month, 32-year-old Halep played her first tournament since her doping ban on Tuesday. In Miami – where Halep was joined by training partner Thiago Monteiro and a physiotherapist – she showed some promising signs early on before losing to Paula Badosa 6-1 4-6 3-6 in the first round.
Following her Miami exit, Halep revealed to Romanian media that her new coach is Martinez, who in the past worked with former two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, as well as with Daria Kasatkina and Clara Tauson. With world No. 11 Kasatkina, Martinez collaborated for four years before the two split in 2023 February.
“I spoke with Carlos Martinez, I will have a period of preparation, of getting to know each other, so to speak, after Miami, when I will return to Europe. I hope it goes well, I appreciate him very much, he worked with players who I really liked, like Svetlana Kuznetsova,” Halep told Digi Sport.
“I hope we get along and I hope I’m able to work at the level he wants and do good work together,”
