Simona Halep’s sore wrist forecasts another Australian Open final: “It’s a good sign”

After accusing wrist problems in her Australian Open first round victory against Jennifer Brady, Simona Halep thinks that her mild injury could mean she will have a good run in Melbourne because the circumstances are similar to the ones in 2018 when she made it to the final.

Simona Halep didn’t have an easy inaugural match at the Australian, as Brady started the match in a strong manner. However, Halep secured the victory with 7/6 6/1, but not without problems. Halep was close to hurting her wrist badly during the first set, but, fortunately for her, the injury wasn’t too serious. A medic took care of her and, now, the Romanian hopes for the best.

“A little bit sore, but nothing dangerous at the moment, so I will see tomorrow morning after I wake up. I don’t know why in the first round I always fall down, but maybe it’s a good sign. Let’s hope for that.” said Halep about her wrist pain during the post-match press conference.

Why an injury could be a good sign? Well, in the first round of the 2018 Australian Open, Simona suffered an ankle injury after stepping wrong on the court. Unexpectedly, everything turned out great for the Wimbledon champion, who made it into the final, where she lost against Caroline Wozniacki. And what’s more, Halep won the first round of the 2018 Melbourne edition against Destanee Aiava with the same score she did against Brady a few hours ago.

“As I remember well in 2018 first round was the same, so probably I can repeat that. You never know, but it’s too far to think about that. Yeah, my wrist is a little bit painful, but I don’t really think about it now. I just want to recover and to chill because I need to recover for the second round.”, said Halep.

Simona Halep’s next opponent will be qualifier Harriet Dart, who had a tough time getting past Misaki Doi in the first round. Halep said she doesn’t know much about her, but that she will consult with her team tomorrow about Dart.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2GeX51T