Things are not going the way Simona Halep would have liked this season. She has been suffering from an inconsistent run of form that has seen her plummet to Number 19 in the WTA rankings. Additionally, Halep has lost matches in which she was the clear favorite.

Yesterday, Halep endured another disappointing result, this time at the French Open 2022. The former World Number 1 bowed out of the competition, losing against Qinwen Zheng of China. After the match, Halep opened up about her comeback plans.

Simona Halep vows to come back stronger

The two-time Grand Slam champion took to Instagram to thank her fans for their support while highlighting her comeback plans. She said, “Hi everyone, I’m writing down these words because I feel like sharing with those who care. As always, I feel such great support from my fans, and I’d like to say thank you to all of you! You are great! You are supporting me unconditionally, and this means a lot! I’m generally not a dramatic person, and I hope I don’t sound like this by writing these words now.”

Further, she added, “The last 18 months were very tough, emotional, and physical. After losing in Doha, my message to the people very close to me was that I could not do it anymore, that I was done with tennis. But somehow, I got the fire back and started to feel the love for tennis again, and I decided to work hard and make significant changes. I am very proud of myself for all I have done lately. I could only do this with Patrick’s help, and I want to thank him for being by my side.”

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Speaking about the expectations from her, Halep said, “The results are tough of course because the expectations are high. I’m a grand slam winner, I’m a former number 1, and I am expected to win. But nothing should be taken for granted. To be able to touch the highest mountain in tennis again, I need time and a lot of hard work. It is not my personality to give up, so tomorrow is a new day and I’ll be ready to start again! By the way, now I know how it is to have a panic attack; not easy to handle, but I’m over it now, and I am smiling already!”

Qinwen Zheng impresses on her debut

In her maiden appearance at the French Open, the Chinese teenager notched up her first win over a top-20 player. It was an impressive performance by her against Halep, coming back from a set down to defeat the 2018 champion.

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Zheng will take on the local favorite, Alize Cornet in the third round. A potential clash with World Number 1, Iga Swiatek, will await the winner of this match.