Simona Halep of Romania reacts after being defeated by Serena Williams of the United States during day eight of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Monday, January 21, 2019. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
2018 French Open Champion Simona Halep suffered a mid-match panic attack during her second-round loss at the Roland Garros
Simona Halep appeared to have difficulties with her breathing and called on the trainer during her 2-6 6-2 6-1 loss to China’s Zheng Qinwen in Paris. Halep, a former champion, was another big name to be knocked out on a day that produced multiple upsets at Roland Garros.
30-year-old Halep struggled physically in the second half of her match against her 19-year-old opponent, fading badly in the second set as Zheng won 11 of the final 12 games. Two-time Grand Slam champion, Halep led by a set and a break but said she “didn’t know how to handle” the situation when a rare panic attack took hold of her.
Speaking after the match, Halep said – “I don’t have it often. I don’t really know why it happened, because I was leading the match. I was playing well.But it just happened and as I said, I lost it. I couldn’t focus.”
She further added, “After the match was pretty tough but now I’m good. I’m recovered and I will learn from this episode. Nothing dangerous, in my opinion, but it happened. So it’s good that now I can smile.”
Simona Halep made an early exit from the French Open after returning to action earlier this month, following a two-month layoff due to injury.
The Romanian suffered a thigh injury during her Indian Wells semi-final loss against Iga Swiatek in March which ruled her out of the Miami Open and the following tournaments. She came back on the WTA tour at the Madrid Open earlier this month.
Halep had been in good touch this season till her unfortunate injury. She started the year with a bang by winning the Melbourne Summer Set but had a disappointing fourth-round exit at the Australian Open. However, she came back strong and made it to the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Indian Wells Masters but lost on both occasions.
However, since her comeback, she has struggled on the court. An early exit from the French Open doesn’t set a good tone for the rest of the season.
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