Jon Wertheim’s interview with Simona Halep: Things we learned and bonus commentary
For one, the vindicated Romanian believes she now has a third major title—her successful appeal.
On March 5, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced Simona Halep’s doping ban from four years to nine months. Two weeks later, the two-time Grand Slam champion returned to action on the WTA Tour, losing in the first round of the Miami Open to Paula Badosa in three sets. That was the first match Halep played since the 2022 US Open.
Today, at a WTA 125 tournament in Paris, Halep resumes her comeback—something she spoke about candidly with Tennis Channel’s Jon Wertheim in April. Their sit-down conversation from Bucharest is an exclusive, in-depth, no-holds-barred look at the 32-year-old’s state of mind before, during and after her suspension. It also includes her thoughts on what’s next, both for her, and for the anti-doping system currently in place.
Here are five big takeaways that emerged from the interview, which you can watch in full at the top of this page. (Note: Some quotes are from portions of the interview not included in the video cut.)
Simona Halep sits down with Tennis Channel’s Jon Wertheim for an exclusive interview from Bucharest, Romania.
1. Halep believes she has now won three majors
Halep’s first Grand Slam singles title came at Roland Garros in 2018. A year later, she played the match of her life, beating Serena Williams to win Wimbledon. Those to date are her two biggest victories. But as she spoke with Wertheim, Halep offered a different view
2. She bears no ill will towards her coach who might have had a role in her suspension
Last November, in an Instagram video, Halep’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said he felt responsible for providing her with the allegedly contaminated collagen supplement that she believed triggered the positive test result. But while it would be easy for Halep to assign blame to Mouratoglou, she has declined to take that step.
Halep: “Definitely was not an intentional mistake or how should I say? That he wanted to make something wrong to me. No. And I heard many voices [say] that I was manipulated by him. That’s not true. He was my coach and I always trusted the people I work with . . . So I really believe that if you don’t trust in your team, you cannot perform at your maximum level. So I trusted, I work with his academy with his people and everything was fine.
“So it was nothing that he offered me to take something or to give me something. No, everything was clear about doping, so it’s nothing that he did it in purpose, nothing.”
Despite the scoreboard reading 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in favor of Paula Badosa, for Halep, this moment “will always feel like a victory.”
3. Returning to tennis was joyful
Certainly, Halep has always played with passion. But there have been times when that intensity has boiled over into anger aimed at herself. Hearing her recent comments, one wonders if much of that will dissipate amid her sheer joy for the chance to play tennis yet again.
Halep: “I felt so much love in Miami. When I was traveling with my mum, I told her that I’m very nervous how it’s going to be, how people will react. But it was amazing. Also the security people, the people that are working for the tournament, the players, the coaches, all, they received me with a lot of love and appreciation. It was great to be back and I felt relieved. I felt the freedom again to be able to go to the tournament and to be able to play, practice, the same routine, locker room. So it was a great experience and I’m really thankful that people welcomed me so beautiful.”
4. A tennis legend offered meaningful support
Beyond occasional brief television interviews, Halep scarcely knew tennis legend Chrissie Evert. But amid Halep’s troubles, she came to highly value Evert’s public comments.
Halep: “Yes, a very special lady, Chris Evert. She was messaging me so much and also publicly she was supporting me. Before CAS, she sent me a message, after, she sent me a message. She’s a wonderful lady and of course, I want to thank her because she knows how to support someone that is in trouble, and that means a lot about a person.”
The schedule was like an army, I would say. Simona Halep
5. For the first time since early childhood, Halep focused on fun—and that’s helped alter her mindset
Halep: “I was focusing more on my person than [as] an athlete. So I was taking care of my body, I was taking care of my mental, I transformed everything into a personal lifestyle. . . I just enjoyed life day by day, that I never had the chance to live normal in this 25 years because I was always, in the schedule, always strict, always something to do. The schedule was like an army, I would say. And now it was like I could go by the pool, I could go to a hair salon, I could go to do all this stuff that a person, normal person can do it. So I enjoyed it.”
Halep: “I’m very smiley these days and I feel, as I said, relieved. I feel the freedom that I probably, I didn’t realize this feeling before what happened. I was always intention. I was always focusing to be the best and to how to do the best things to be great in tennis. Now I see different. I’m older, of course, I have some titles behind, so I have experience and now I see more the pleasure for tennis. Of course it’s going to be tough to get the rhythm back, but I enjoy more, which is I think the best thing right now for me.”
“I can see it in my tennis”: Matteo Arnaldi doesn’t need a ranking to show positive gains
“I did big steps every year,” he says at Roland Garros. “That’s what matters for me and for my team, that what we are doing is working.”
Editor’s note: After this story was published, Arnaldi defeated No. 6 Andrey Rublev in straight sets ⤴️
PARIS—Matteo Arnaldi arrived to the Roland Garros media mixed zone Thursday for a series of brief one-on-one interviews. The 23-year-old appears relaxed, wearing a Le Coq Sportif hoodie, shorts and flip-flops. When I ask whether the choice of footwear is his comfort zone, Arnaldi laughs before explaining not at all—he was simply in a bit of a rush.
“No, it’s because I forgot the socks. So I didn’t want to put the feet in my shoes without the socks because then it starts smelling,” he says with a grin. “So I just put on the flip-flops. I still have to have lunch to get.”
One couldn’t fault Arnaldi for being in a hurry. Just as he was finishing, rain returned for the second of multiple appearances on the day. Minutes before closing out France’s Alexandre Muller, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3, Arnaldi fought off six break points in a stirring 20-point game to reach 5-3 after starting the set down 0-2. Had that not gone his way, there’s no saying when lunch would have been served.
“That was a really important game. I had to be a bit resilient because I didn’t play like I played the four games before,” he assessed. “And it was let’s say his last chance, because it was an important game. He had a few break points. So that I think turned the match 100 percent in my way, I would say.”
A year after winning his Roland Garros debut, Arnaldi has progressed to the third round.
While a certain countryman of his also born in 2001 has garnered much-deserved attention, Arnaldi has made significant strides himself. Three years ago, he was ranked outside of the Top 900. Two years ago, his ranking left him short of making the cut for Roland Garros qualifying. Last yis ear, he went 20-15 in his first season at the tour level and now, he’s ranked a career-high No. 35 with a US Open fourth-round showing and Davis Cup title among his achievements.
“I did big steps every year. That’s what matters for me and for my team, that what we are doing is working,” Arnaldi says.
“It’s never easy. Can be tough moments for sure and hard times, but the most important thing for me is that I’m still improving. I don’t pay much attention to the ranking. I can see it in my tennis. That’s what matters for me.”
Arnaldi is well on his way to surpassing last year’s win total, as he has 17 so far this season.
A native of Sanremo, Arnaldi mostly keeps to himself. Like anyone, the Italian’s walls come down when around those who know him best. Take coach Alessandro Petrone, who Arnaldi shared a room with for 18 months a few years back to keep costs down on the road in his pursuit to reach the elite level of the sport.
“We have a good relationship,” he says. “I don’t open much in public I would say. But with the people that are with me all the time, my girlfriend, my team in general, I’m pretty open. We share a lot of good moments.”
Arnaldi has a shot to create a great moment for everybody involved in his next match at the clay-court major. Awaiting him in the third round: Madrid champion and world No. 6 Andrey Rublev. The two meet Friday on Court Suzanne Lenglen, with Arnaldi seeking his first Top 10 win in a Grand Slam event.
“I love to play in those matches, because it can take out the best of me. When you play against the Top 10, you test your level,” he believes. “I didn’t play a very good match with De Minaur in Australia. In New York against Alcaraz, I didn’t win a set, but I was playing pretty good.”
