Simona Halep is a Romanian tennis player. She shot to fame after defeating Serena Williams in the 2019 Wimbledon final. She became world number one twice between 2017 and 2019 and held that position for 64 weeks.
Wiki/Biography
Simona Halep was born on Friday, September 27, 1991 in Constanta, Romania (28 years old in 2019). Her zodiac sign is Libra. She was educated at “Scoala Gimnaziala Nr.30 Gheorghe Titeica” in Constanta, Romania. She also participated in the Liceul Cu project Sportiv Nicolae Rotaru (Sports School) in Constanta, Romania. She studied for her undergraduate degree at the University “Ovidis” in Constanta, Romania. Simone has been playing tennis since she was 4 years old. She was inspired to play tennis by her brother and started playing regularly at the age of 6.
Simona Halep when she was young
Her mother, Tania, wanted her to be a successful tennis player and when Simone was 10 years old, Tania wanted to see her win at Wimbledon. Simone studies very well and she likes math. She once said in an interview that if she hadn’t been a tennis player, she would have been a mathematician.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′6″
Eye color: moss green
Hair color: medium ash blonde
family
Simona Halep is of Aromanian descent. Her father, Stere Halep, was a football player and ran a dairy factory. Her mother Tania Halep is a housewife. She has a brother, Nicolas Halep. Simone is unmarried.
Simona Halep with her father Stere Halep and brother Nicolae Halep
Simona Halep and her mother Tania Halep
Profession
Simone started her career in 2008 when she started playing at Notting Hill Tennis Club and competed in the Australian Open Junior Championship, which she lost. In May 2008, she scored her first victory at the 2008 Trofeo Bonfiglio Cup. In June 2008, she won the French Open Youth Championship.
Simona Halep wins 2008 French Open junior championship trophy
She also began competing in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Senior Development Championships. She won two $10,000 tournaments and two $25,000 tournaments. She said in an interview that in 2009, she had to undergo breast reduction surgery to play better; because it caused her discomfort, the surgery helped her become agile and help her react quickly during the game. She considers the surgery to be her greatest sacrifice.
Simona Halep in action
In 2010, she participated in events such as the Australian Open, Barcelona Women’s Open, French Open, WTA Tour and US Open. However, she only reached the French Open final. In 2011, she participated in the ASB Classic, Australian Open, Estoril Open, Wimbledon Championships, BCR Romanian Women’s Open, Rogers Cup, US Open and BGL Luxembourg Open singles, but only won the 1st place. Two and two. The third round of most such games.
Simona Halep 2011 US Open
In 2012, Simona did not win any competitions. 2013 was a turning point in Halep’s career. She competed in the Italian Open, defeating the world number four and former world number one. Ultimately, she was defeated by Serena Williams, but her performance helped her become world No. 47. She subsequently won the Nuremberg Versicherungscup and Topshelf Open. This also made her the first Romanian to win the title twice in a row on different surfaces. She won the New Haven Open and rose to No. 19 in the world. In October 2013, she won the Kremlin Cup, making her the only player in 2013 to win the title on clay, grass, hard courts and indoor courts. In November 2013, she won her sixth title at the Garanti Koza WTA Championship. She became the 11th ranked player in the world and the only player since Steffi Graf to win six WTA titles in one year.
Simona Halep with her 2013 WTA Championship trophy
In 2014, at the Australian Open, she reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. She lost in the quarterfinals but moved into the top 10 in her WTA rankings. She also became the third Romanian woman to enter the top ten. On February 16, she won the Qatar Open and rose to fifth in the world. In 2014, she had to withdraw from the Italian Open due to injury. In June 2014, she reached the French Open final, becoming the only player after Martina Hingis to not lose a set in a Grand Slam final. However, she lost to Sharapova in the final.
Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova compete at the 2014 French Open
In 2014, she participated in the Western and Southern Open, the US Open and the WTA Year-End Finals, but was eliminated in the quarter-finals, third round and final respectively. In the second round of the WTA Finals, she stunned everyone by defeating defending champion Serena Williams. However, she lost to Serena Williams in the finals.
Simona Halep and Serena Williams compete in WTA finals
In 2015, she won the Shenzhen Open and Dubai Open. In March 2015, when she was competing in the Indian Wells Masters, she received news that her cousin Nithya Aljit had committed suicide. Eventually, she won the championship and dedicated it to her cousin. She reached the finals of the 2015 Rogers Cup, but suffered a leg injury during the game and had to withdraw. She finished the year ranked No. 2 in the world and posted a career-best 40-10 record.
Simona Halep Wimbledon 2015
At the beginning of 2016, Halep missed several games due to injury. Eventually, she participated in and won the Madrid Open. This helped her return to the top 5 of the WTA rankings. She won the 2016 Rogers Cup and reached the Doubles Final with partner Monica Negulescu. In 2017, she was forced to withdraw from the St. Petersburg Women’s Cup and the Romanian Confederations Cup due to a foot injury. In 2017, she became the seventh player to reach No. 1 in the world within a year without winning a Grand Slam.
After Simona Halep becomes world No. 1
In 2018, she partnered with Irina Camelia Begu to win her first doubles championship at the Shenzhen Open. She also won the 2018 French Open. She competed in other competitions but did not perform well. She was ranked number one in the world for two years in a row.
Simona Halep wins 2018 World No. 1 award
In 2019, she started her season without a coach. Her former coach Darren Cahill, her coach for the past three years, took a year off from coaching to focus on his family. She works with Daniel Dobre as her coach. In 2019, she participated in the Sydney Open, Australian Open, Qatar Open, Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, French Open, and Eastbourne International, but lost all of them. In 2019, she reached the Wimbledon final for the first time, against seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams. Simona dominated the final with a score of 6-2, 6-2 and only made three unforced errors. The match ended in 56 minutes and she won her first Wimbledon title. Simona Halep becomes the first Romanian player to win Wimbledon.
Simona Halep in Wimbledon final
Awards, Honors and Achievements
- 2013 ESPN Center Court Most Improved Player
- 2013 Women’s Tennis Association Most Popular Player of the Year Award
- Most clicked players on WTATennis.com in 2014 and 2015
- In 2018, the city of Bucharest, Romania awarded the title of Cetăşean de Onoare (Honorary Citizen)
Simona Halep honored with Cetăşean de Onoare
- 2013 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year Award
- 2018 WTA Player of the Year Award
Simona Halep wins 2018 WTA Player of the Year award
- 2018 ITF World Champion
Simona Halep wins ITF 2018 World Champion Award
Signed by Simona Halep
Signed by Simona Halep
Favorites
Favorite tennis players: Justin Henin, Andrei Pavel and Roger Federer
Simona Halep and Justine Henin
Favorite food: Singaporean chicken rice
Favorite place: Paris
Favorite exercise: Yoga
net worth
$25 million (as of 2019)
car collection
Simona Halep owns a Mercedes AMG C 63S Cabriolet, a Mercedes GLE 450 AMG, a Mercedes CLS AMG, a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS (which she won at the WTA Finals) and A Range Rover.
Simona Halep and her Porsche 911 Carrera GTS
Simona Halep and her Range Rover
Simona Halep and her Mercedes convertible
Simona Halep and her Mercedes CLS
Simona Halep and her Mercedes 450 GLE
fact
- Simona’s hometown is in Constanta, Romania, but she moved to Bucharest at the age of 16 to focus on her training.
- Like other athletes, Simone undergoes a rigorous exercise regimen, but she avoids lifting weights; because she doesn’t want her body to become bulky.
Simona Halep does yoga
- At one point, she said in an interview that while Roger Federer was one of her favorites, she grew up idolizing Justine Henin and Andrei Pavel.
Simona Halep and Roger Federer
- In interviews, she said she was a very shy person and described herself as an introvert. She used to hate being in front of people, and she would always warm up alone before games or training; because she didn’t want others to see her.
- She reportedly felt she would be a better player if she were taller. She didn’t think she was cut out for tennis. Interestingly, Halep is the shortest player to win Wimbledon.
- Simone is managed by Virginia Ruzici. Virginia is also a former Romanian tennis player and she was the first Romanian to win the French Open; Simona was the second.
Simona Halep and her manager Virginia Ruzici
- In an interview, Simona revealed that early in her career, she was not used to playing on grass courts; there were no grass courts in Romania. When she started practicing on the grass courts before games, she would often fall and get injured.
Simona Halep training on grass
- Simone enjoys playing golf and soccer in her free time, and she also enjoys ice skating.
Simona Halep skates
- She is an animal lover and often goes to places where she can interact with animals.
Simona Halep feeds kangaroos
- In one interview, she was asked if being away from the game had affected her family. She replied that she used to rush home whenever she had time. She jokingly added that since her niece was born, she is no longer so important in the family and she loves being with her whenever she is home.
Simona Halep and her niece
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education