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Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, who had an on and off year due to various injuries that forced her to take time away, took to social media to express hopes that she will be again able to play her best tennis after an "incredibly challenging" year that most recently saw her being compelled to withdraw for medical reasons from the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open before the semifinal with fellow national Jaqueline Cristian.
''Well... 2021 you have been hmmmm, tough to describe. To be honest, it has been an incredibly challenging year. Right before starting it we suffered a huge pain in our hearts as a family because we lost one of our very close relations, my father's sister, my Auntie. She was a strong, special person and will always be in our hearts and minds. It was the toughest moment for me and it took me a while to accept it, but I understood in the end that this is life and that we must overcome heartache and stay strong,'' Halep wrote.
"I was emotionally exhausted for a long period of time and then I started to suffer some little injuries until the big one came, the calf injury in Rome. I didn't know how to manage it because I had never faced something like that before. My desire to play was huge, but I couldn't play for a few months and had to miss my beloved Roland Garros and was unable to defend my title at Wimbledon. I started to struggle with confidence and to question if I could come back to where I was, if I could trust my body to hold up,'' the former world No. 1 said.
Halep suffered a left calf tear on May 12, during her Rome Open second-round match, which forced her to stay away from the court until August, when she made a comeback with a victory in Cincinnati. However, a "small tear" in her right adductor sidelined her again.
''Fast forward to this moment and the thing I am most proud of after all these challenges, is that today I feel confident that I will play well again and, with hard work, I will create some other great moments on court. This year didn't start well, but it finished in a positive way and I'm excited for what lies ahead,'' concludes 30-year-old Halep, now WTA's 22nd, who will end 2021 outside the world's top 20 for the first time in eight years.
She thanked her coaches Darren Cahill, Daniel Dobre and Adrian Marcu and the physiotherapists she worked with this year: ''Thanks to Darren for being by my side during these tough times. Thanks to Daniel for being there always. Thanks to my new coach Adrian for coming back and bringing me the light of confidence, and a smile on the court. Thanks to my physios (kinetic sport medicine) for taking care of me every time."
Halep ends 2021 with no title, for the first time in eight years, having only reached the Transylvania Open final. She also thanked her family for unconditionally supporting her, her close friends for always being by her side, as well as her husband, for being in her life.
"2022, I'm really looking forward to meeting you, but now holiday please!!!," Halep concludes.
