Tennis legend Chris Evert believes that Romanian participant and former world No 1, Simona Halep, is the ladies’s equal of 21 time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal, attributable to them having an analogous model of play.
Halep has solely gained two Grand Slam titles versus the Spaniard’s 21, however they’re each recognized for his or her exhausting work and willpower to come back again to the game rapidly after damage.
The French Open winner sustained a few dangerous accidents final season together with a muscle tear in her left calf, which dominated her out of the Tokyo Olympics, and an damage to her proper adductor which meant she couldn’t play within the Canada Masters.
📍@BNPPARIBASOPEN 🌴 pic.twitter.com/8yYQ2J9IR5
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) March 8, 2022
However thus far this season she’s managed to win the Melbourne Summer season Set, attain the semi finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and is at the moment by to the spherical of 16 on the Indian Wells Masters, and it’s this resilience which Evert admires.
“Simona Halep is one other participant like Nadal who has to work tougher in coaching, within the health club, in matches – she is thought for three-set matches and comebacks, she just isn’t tall or robust so she has to rely extra on her legs and motion,” the 67-year-old defined.
“I believe it simply relies on her, I’m an enormous fan of Simona, I like her sport, I believe she will beat a number of these gamers who’re ranked forward of her.
“I can’t imagine she’s the twenty fourth favorite (seed at Indian Wells), it’s ridiculous however I do know it’s as a result of she was injured, she didn’t play, however she has what it takes to get again within the high 5 – she is stronger than every one of these gamers and strikes in addition to one of the best on the circuit.”
Halep can be aiming to progress additional on the BNP Paribas Open, however she has to see off Keys first if she has any likelihood of constructing it to the ultimate.