Simona Halep’s former coach says ‘no chance’ the two-time grand slam champion knowingly took banned substance
Simona Halep said she is ‘not going to take this anymore’ following Sunday’s shock loss to Karolina Pliskova in the US Open final.
The Romanian, who was also ordered to pay her third professional penalty for violating the rules, will miss the second week of the clay-court season, and said she only hopes to regain her form, which she believes is good enough for a return to the World No 1 ranking.
‘I am not going to take it anymore because of the way I feel. I have never felt worse,’ Halep said after losing the final in Cincinnati to Pliskova, who is ranked four places below the 24-year-old.
Halep’s ‘crazy’ run was ended by a gutsy performance from Pliskova, who earned her first Grand Slam title in her eighth major appearance
Simona Halep looked shell-shocked after losing the final in Cincinnati against Karolina Pliskova
Halep, who has been fined £4,000, admitted taking the banned substance meldonium, which was banned from tennis in January
Halep said she is ‘not going to take this anymore’ following the loss in Cincinnati to Pliskova, who is ranked four places below the 24-year-old
‘I have to take a deep breath because of the situation. I have to put it behind me. I won’t do anything but focus, focus, focus,’ Halep added.
‘I want to play again because I have never felt better and I’m still hungry as I want to play again.’
The Romanian is currently riding a five-match losing streak at the US Open, and lost in the semifinals to Dominika Cibulková in the last four years.
Earlier this month Halep said she ‘needed to go away to clear her mind’ following the defeat in Cincinnati.
She also said it is ‘normal’ to feel a’mental block’ but doesn’t know