Simona Halep is one of the most recognizable and admired figures in her Romania because of her success and her sparkling personality.
The world no.1 has just ended a vacation on the mountain and she received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the West University of Timisoara.
At the end of the ceremony, the Romanian had a fantastic speech about her motivation and how she felt after winning her first title (juniors).
The 2 most important moments of Simona’s career
Simona commented
“I am grateful to the West University of Timisoara for this title and for this very special moment.
There have been two beautiful moments in my career so far, because it is not over yet.
[1] “Ten years ago I won the Roland Garros tournament for juniors. I left Paris in the morning, very ready, I was very confident, I told my parents that it would be the last junior tournament. During the tour, we encountered difficult opponents, but with an inner power, I came to the final where I met Elena Bogdan, another Romanian I knew and trained with.
I started the match very well, but pressure struck me, a fear of success because I was close, I sat on the bench and told myself that I was making my game difficult because of emotions, I got the motivations, I went into the court and told myself it was the only place I wanted to be there then. I went in and I won 6-1 or 6-2, I do not know. That’s how I ended my junior career. From that moment on, I set myself the same goal for the seniors, I was bold ”
[2] “In 2017, when I left for Paris, I was injured in Rome, I had an ankle sprain, but nothing stopped me and I said I wanted to play the tour although the team and the family told me they would I have to give up Roland Garros. We played hard games, it is for sure that in the final I led for the most part, I had a 3-1 lead in the second set, but Ostapenko was more confident, she did not think too much and stole my trophy from my hands. It was a tough time, I suffered for 3 months.”
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“We did not give up, we went to training, tournaments and we were emotionally prepared. This year when we went to the tour, similar to the one in 2008, I knew I had the game well set up. I was strong at the time and I was very excited.
I felt a wave of positive emotion, I felt the finals would be lighter, but I was wrong. I was led with set and 3-0. I knew how Stephens played, I thought I was not quite aggressive. But at 2-0 I was told that if I did not get into the game I did not have a chance.
I said I had to give all the best. I went into the field, went to the net three times, and told me it was time to hit each ball with confidence. When it came to the end, I paused for a moment and told myself that it was so close. I served pretty strong, but it was a precise service where the return was wrong. I felt that all the hardships, all the moments of sadness had gone.
The message I want to convey to young people is that when you want something you have to trust. That’s how I did and I want to tell you that a dream can be fulfilled ”
I’m so proud and honoured to receive the title Doctor Honoris Causa from West University in Timisoara! 🎓🙏 pic.twitter.com/PDZbakVtu6
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) November 23, 2018
