The Romanian has visions of gold dancing in her head.
After winning Roland Garros and being emphatically embraced by the Romanian public with open arms, Simona Halep is hoping to take it to the next level. The Romanian told reporters on Saturday at Wimbledon that she has set a new goal for herself: two in an Olympic medal.
Wimbledon 2018: Wozniacki Comes in Hot on Heels of Title 29
“The dream came true,” said Halep. “So I don't stress myself any more with that Grand Slam thing. It's nice to be in this position. But, you know, gives me just happy moments, nothing else. I was dreaming for this. I did it. Now I have already set another goal.”
When asked what that new goal was, Halep quickly stated her intentions: “Actually it's about the Olympics,” she said. “I would love to have an Olympic medal. So my focus is on that.”
Halep said she was moved by the affection that the Romanian people showed her. “Actually it was one of my best moments,” she said of her post-Roland Garros celebration at the National Arena in Bucharest. “To see over 20,000 people coming out to see me and to see the trophy, it was amazing. Actually I had tears in my eyes actually receiving the love from the people.”
She added:
“It's really nice to see that those people were appreciating my work and my result. I think it was a dream for them also, to have a tennis player winning a Grand Slam again after 40 years. It was an amazing moment. I really thank them for doing that. It was special. I took a lot of energy from them.”
Top-seeded Halep will open her 2018 Wimbledon campaign on Tuesday against Japan’s Kurumi Nara. Halep, a quarterfinalist last year at SW19, owns a 1-0 record against Nara.
