Miami Open 2019: Simona Halep Hires a New Coach

Simona Halep parted her ways with her long time coach Darren Cahill, as Cahill announced that he would take a break for the rest of the entire season to spend time with his family. Initially Simona Halep did not seem to make a great deal out of it opting to go without a coach as the season began.

However, she changed her mind after an average showing in January, and decided to tie her wagon to Thierry Van Cleemput. This partnership also did not seem to last long as she parted ways again after her loss to Elise Mertens in Doha.

It was revealed later on that there was a breakdown of communication, owing to the language difference between the two. Van Cleemput said “I want to say that everything went well and that she is a great champion and a top girl. She had a good tournament. But I am not okay with it at all. I cannot do anything about it.”

At Indian Wells Simona Halep had mentioned she was not looking for a new coach. “In this moment, I’m not asking anyone,” Simona Halep mentioned at the BNP Paribas Open. “I’m just chilling. I don’t know what is going to happen, but I’m not asking anyone and I’m not in conversation with anyone. I miss the voice next to me, I miss the advice”, said Simona Halep. “I miss the fact that someone is always behind you to give you advice. But the rest is pretty similar. I’m professional and I’m trying to do the [right] things even if the coach is not there.”

However, now she has confirmed that she will be hiring a familiar face in her new coach- Daniel Dobre. Dobre is someone with whom she has worked with before back in 2015, where she had achieved some of her best results in Florida. Now, as she looks to build another fresh partnership, it will be interesting to see if she gets her rhythm back at the Miami Open 2019.