Darren Cahill, former coach of Simona Halep, revealed details about his collaboration with our athlete.
Retired from tennis in February, Simona took up golf, but Cahill doesn’t forget the experiences he had alongside Halep.
The Australian disclosed the moment when Simona Halep "wanted me to feel miserable."
"I was an experienced team person (at that time). She was playing for her first Grand Slam title, could become number 1 if she won that final. The pressure from people in Romania was enormous, you could feel it. It was intense. You knew she was destined to win a Grand Slam title, but you never know... I decided then that I would be positive because I was the oldest in the team, the most experienced. I was planning to sell her positive stories: Simo, everything is fine, we will get there, we keep fighting, we get back on the court, we continue to improve your game, smile and let's enjoy tennis together.
It was the wrong style for her because she was suffering inside. I showed no empathy at all. I didn't suffer with her. I was suffering, but I didn't show it. I was positive, and she wanted me to feel miserable like she did," in an episode from the Tennis Insider Club podcast.
Cahill described another tense moment, which happened after the match with Sharapova at the US Open.
"She played quite well, and after the match, she came to me to discuss the game, tears in her eyes. She asked me how she played. I started talking about technical aspects... what an idiot. She didn't want to hear that. She stood up, I was in the middle of a sentence, and she left crying. Teo Cercel, the fitness trainer, was following Simona to the locker room and passed by me, looked at me, and signaled me to stop. Then he came to me and said Listen, I know what you're trying to do, but sometimes you're too harsh with her. She's a young girl, no one expected her to be such a good tennis player, she's doing a great job, maybe sometimes you just need to hug her and tell her you love her.
The next day I saw her and told her. The last eight weeks are because of me. I made a big mistake. I know you're suffering, and I am too, but inside, I started crying and hugged her. She started crying too and told me she had been waiting for that hug for three months. I told her if you want to fire me now... fine, I will leave. She said no, it's okay. Two weeks later she goes to Asia, plays against Sharapova, and beats her. All the pressure had been lifted off her shoulders, and she could enjoy tennis again. That was not my coaching style, but it taught me an important lesson," the Australian added.