14 DAY TRIAL // This can read like the story of the little engine that could, or the classic story of the underdog. Everyone loves a good underdog story, so here it goes: Simona Halep, the Romanian tennis player who ranked 47th in the world just 2 years ago, destroyed the number 1 female tennis player in the world, Serena Williams, at the WTA Finals in Singapore.
Halep is now world’s number 4, but prospects for her have just gotten all that brighter, having beaten Williams in a match that even Williams herself described as “embarrassing” for her, The Guardian reports.
Halep breaks William’s record-setting winning streak
Before this match, Williams hadn’t lost like this since she was 16: she was routed 6-0, 6-2. After the game, she explained that she was still experiencing some health issues and that this prevented her from being at the top of her game.
However, in almost no time, she was on Twitter congratulating her rival on court on a beautiful match.
“Embarrassing describes the way I played today. Very embarrassing,” Williams told reporters. “My forehand was off today. It's obviously gone on an early vacation. My serve was at best at the 10-and-under division of juniors.”
Probably realizing that this sounded very much like saying something along the lines of “she only beat me because I wasn’t in the excellent shape I usually am, it’s not her credit,” Serena tweeted that Halep had played a “great” game.
Halep defeated the world’s greatest but is trying to not let it get to her head
Perhaps the most admirable thing for Simona Halep’s fans is the way in which she acts after every win she adds to an already impressive list. As noted above, this is a player who shot through the ranks like few others before, but she is striving not to let that get to her head.
The same goes for her win against Williams.
“It was my best match of my life,” she said at the same press event. “I played unbelievable shots. It means a lot this match. At an important time I played really well, and after today my confidence will be more high.”
However, she didn’t want to deceive herself into believing she already had the big prize secured. “I have confidence I can get to the semifinals. First I have to forget this day, but it will be hard to forget. I am so happy,” she explained.
Halep “sacrificed” 34DD breasts to be the best in tennis
Halep’s story is all the more inspirational since she decided to undergo a breast reduction to improve her game and her chances of success. Our culture is one where bigger is always better where breasts are concerned, but as it turns out, not all little girls dream of growing up and have men lusting over their more or less natural curves.
Halep was definitely not one of them so, in 2010, ranked 114th player in the world, she came back on the court after a 1-year hiatus in which she’d had her breasts downsized.
She explained to the media that she was bothered by the weight of them and how they slowed her down on court, but she insisted she would have had them reduced even if she hadn’t been an athlete. She went for a more modest 34C cup.
Halep got a lot of international media attention for her decision at the time, but that was just the start of her journey. To get where she is today, she had to work hard and focus on always delivering her best on court – and she’s now reaping the benefits.
In summary Simona Halep played great. Good job and Good luck.
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) October 22, 2014