Former world No. 1 Simona Halep admits reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinal means a lot to her as she is happy to be playing great tennis after a rough 2021 season.
Halep, who was contemplating to retire in 2021 and also had retirements thoughts earlier this year, crushed fourth-ranked Paula Badosa 6-1 6-2Ā to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinal.
On Monday, Halep probably delivered her best performance of the season.
Halep clinched 11 break points – broke Badosa five times – and saved the lone break point she faced at the start of the second set.
“It means a lot that I’m back in a quarterfinals after I struggled so much with injuries and self-confidence. I’m really happy with the way I’m playing. I’m really confident. It’s a pleasure to be on court,” Halep said, per the WTA website.
Halep: I was more nervous during the ceremony
On Sunday, Wimbledon held a special ceremony as Halep and other great champions gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Centre Court.
A day later, Halep played her first match on the Centre Court since 2019.
“Actually, I was more nervous yesterday than today,” Halep admitted. “It’s very special to be back I missed a lot, to play in Wimbledon. Three years was a lot. It’s always a pleasure to come back and to have the chance to play on Centre Court.”
In the quarterfinal, Halep plays Amanda Anisimova.
Meanwhile, Ajla Tomljanovic joined Halep in reaching the quarterfinal after beating Alize Cornet. 4-6 6-4 6-3.
Tomljanovic plays next Elena Rybakina, who is enjoying her best-ever Wimbledon run.
“She’s got a big game,” Tomljanovic said about Rybakina. “I know that if she’s on, it’s going to be tough. But you just got to weather the storm. If I can weather the storm but try to put my game as the priority and be aggressive first, and move her, I think that’s going to be key.”