The legendary John McEnroe makes a statement full of sincerity towards Simona Halep (33 years old), who has returned to the WTA circuit without much success yet after her doping suspension.
McEnroe agrees with Ion Țiriac’s grim verdict regarding Simona’s chances of returning to a high level in tennis.
He argues that Halep "will have to 'dig' deeper than she has done so far to be able to return to the tennis elite after the break caused by the doping suspension.
John McEnroe said that, in his opinion, it is "a huge challenge" for Simona Halep to start from scratch after all she has achieved.
"I agree with what Mr. Țiriac said. Players are getting bigger, faster, and stronger than ever, both in men's and women's tennis. It's hard for someone like her, who has been at the top for a long time and then had to face this suspension. It's hard to get rid of that. I don't know exactly what she did during that time, but I can imagine it was incredibly stressful and probably difficult to stay motivated or focused on training while trying to get over all of that. Starting over after everything she has already achieved is a huge challenge."
She's not very tall, but she's a great athlete and knows how to win and compete. So, I wouldn't rule out her comeback to the top. I think she's over 30 now. Returning to the top, undoubtedly, will not be easy. But it's not impossible either. It will take much more willpower than usual to win major tournaments. With everything that has happened, she will have to 'dig' even deeper just to return to the top 10. The mental aspect will be as important as the physical one," said John McEnroe, according to ProSport.
Since her return to tennis, Simona has played only 5 official matches. She won just one, against Arina Rodionova, in Hong Kong, in October.
She will return to the circuit in February at the Transylvania Open.