Watching helicopters land might sound like strange preparation for the biggest match of your life, but it worked a treat for Simona Halep.
The Wimbledon champion reveals the unusual way she spent the build-up to what became one of the greatest Centre Court performances of modern times, her spectacular demolition of Serena Williams in the 2019 final.
Eschewing a smart private house in nearby Wimbledon village, the 29-year-old Romanian opted to spend the tournament in a hotel next door to Battersea’s heliport.
Simon Halep played an astonishing match in the 2019 Wimbledon final to beat Serena Williams
Halep unusually stayed at a hotel in Battersea before her stunning 56-minute win in SW19
‘I wasn’t that nervous, even though I am a nervous person and I was very relaxed that morning,’ she recalled.
‘I spent a long time just looking out of the window at the helicopters landing at the heliport. It’s strange, but it cleared my mind and helped me forget about what was coming.
‘I played the perfect match. I had faced Serena in Singapore, where I played fast and didn’t give her the time to settle, so I knew if I did that I had a chance.
‘I felt more excited than nervous and I had my family there. It was the most beautiful day of my life.’
Halep had not been back to Wimbledon until she arrived on Monday evening and feared she might not make it at all when a pulled calf muscle forced her out of the French Open. She expects to defend her title next week, but will be short on matches.
The field will be richer for the presence of a substantial personality within the women’s game, a relatively late developer with an interesting background.
Halep became the first high-profile tennis player to take a Covid-19 vaccine back in February
In February she became the first prominent tennis player to take a Covid vaccine, which she deliberately made public.
Hailing from the coastal city of Constanta, Halep’s heritage is Aromanian, one of the many ethnic groups around the Balkans.
From early in her career, she has enjoyed the mentorship of Gheorghe Hagi, the country’s greatest footballer ever and a fellow Aromanian.
She is not like some female tennis players in having been a teenage prodigy and it was not until her early 20s that she began to seriously scale the rankings.
A key to her development was her father Stere remembering how his footballing ambitions had been stifled at semi-professional level.
‘He loved football and played a bit, but his parents would not let him play professionally,’ she said.
Halep has benefited from having Romanian football legend Gheorghe Hagi as a mentor
‘My brother was playing tennis, which is how I started in Constanta. It has beaches, it is a nice city, but during the winter there is not much action; it’s a bit cold with no visitors.
‘At 16 it was decided I should move to Bucharest for my tennis where there were more coaches and better partners to practise with.’
Progress was steady rather than spectacular and she volunteers that a breast reduction operation she had was a factor.
‘In 2009 I had the surgery which I had to have done for my tennis. Then after that, in 2010, I was not very confident in my game, my attitude was too negative and I didn’t believe I could get to the top.
‘So I had to have a lot of experiences before I believed I could beat top players. I needed time to get the feeling that I’m good enough.
‘It really changed at Rome in the Italian Open of 2013, where I reached the semi-final and started to believe.’
Halep became world No 1 in 2017 – but a first major title was still out of the right-hander’s reach
Hagi, 56, a revered figure in Halep’s homeland, has always been a strong influence. ‘I first met him when I was nine,’ she said. ‘I asked for a picture with him.
‘He was my sports role model, the way he was playing and the way he practised. He was very strict and professional and very passionate about what he does.
‘It’s nice because when I became professional we became real friends and always I like to share with him some feelings and draw on his experience.
‘He knows so much about sport, he actually loves tennis and knows how to play. We have had dinner and also talk. I can call him a friend — also Nadia Comaneci.’
She errs on the side of caution when asked about their shared Aromanian heritage.
‘It’s tough to explain even in my own language. We are different, a little bit, in our personality and how we look. But I don’t want to make mistakes about that.
Halep insists there are two sides to the story of Ilie Nastase’s ejection from a Fed Cup match
‘I am Romanian, I am born in Romania and I have the culture of Romania.’
Barely four years after her breakthrough in Rome, she had ascended to world No 1, in 2017.
That year was also notable for the notorious Fed Cup match between Great Britain and Romania which saw her captain Ilie Nastase ejected from the stadium for his behaviour during a highly charged tie.
Jo Konta was reduced to an emotional state on court, but Halep insists there were two sides to the story, stating: ‘I remember it very well.
‘There was a bit of a misunderstanding. I don’t support the reaction but the reaction had a reason.
‘I didn’t like what happened there, but sometimes under pressure people react differently and not very well.
British No 1 Jo Konta was left in floods of tears over Nastase’s abusive remarks during the tie
In another indication of her strength of character, the following month she won the Madrid Open and was happy to accept the trophy from Nastase.
It was a show of implicit support, although his presence at the ceremony drew protest from the WTA Tour.
Beneath her easy smile and open demeanour, Halep is clearly not someone afraid to make her point.
And so it was back in February, when much less was known about Covid vaccines, that she decided she wanted to set an example by taking one, sharing pictures of the injection via her social media.
‘It’s important for people to see we have to do some things when it is good for us,’ she said.
‘I listened to the doctors and the people who know. I have no idea about medicine and they told me I should do it.
Halep was happy to accept her Madrid Open trophy Nastase despite his past conduct
‘I wanted to show people I am not scared of it and in Romania many people had doubts.
‘I had a good and bad reaction to what I did, as always. I ignore only the bad and enjoy the positive reactions. In the past, I suffered when I read the bad things, but they made me stronger.’
Strong enough to win two Grand Slams and reach the final of three others.
Playing on grass had been a learning curve, leading to the point where she put in that astonishing performance to destroy Williams in the last Wimbledon final — beating her 6-2, 6-2 in only 56 minutes and making only three unforced errors in the process.
She has also come to love London and is delighted to be back. ‘I feel like I move more securely on the grass, it’s not as slippery as it was,’ she said.
‘It is safer to slide and the ball bounces a bit higher, so I have longer to hit it and open the court up.
Halep is looking forward to defending her SW19 title after saying she didn’t initially like grass
‘Developing the slice serve has helped me a lot and the fact that others don’t come to the net that much, the game is not finishing that fast any more.
‘Before, I was not that comfortable because I didn’t feel steady on my feet. I’ve now had quite good results there and in 2019 it was the best connection.
‘I feel very comfortable in London. It has many types of different people, the history.
‘When I go to a city I like walking on the streets, in the park, going out. The weather can be a bit tough. People are relaxed, which makes me feel good.
‘It will be different this year, but every year is different.’