Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Wednesday, 25 March 2026, 15:02 / Updated on Wednesday, 25 March 2026 15:04
Simona Halep (34 years old), double Grand Slam champion, named the opponent who intimidated her the most on the court during her career.
The former tennis player triumphed in her career at Roland Garros, in 2018, and at Wimbledon, in 2019. The final in London was won in front of Serena Williams, score 6-2, 6-2.
SIMON was the world leader in the WTA ranking for 64 weeks. A year after retiring from tennis, Aleppo explained that she was intimidated by Serena Williamsformer leader in the WTA rankings and one of the greatest tennis players in history.
Simona Halep: “I have to admit, I was intimidated by Serena”
“I was intimidated by Serena, I have to admit. She intimidated me with her strength, with the way she looked. I can't say that Sharapova ever intimidated me, but I had a scare.
Maybe the height, it was the height difference between us and somehow she had the feeling that I couldn't handle her blows, but it was more of a mental thing.
Otherwise, I had a hard time with Kerber and Svitolina, they were hard, very hard matches, but I can't say that I felt afraid of anyone“, said Simona Halep, in the mindarchitect podcast.
Simona Halep – Serena Williams 2-10
Serena Williams clearly dominated the direct duels with Simona Halep, winning 10 times against the Romanian. The Romanian achieved only two victories.
The most important victory came in the 2019 Wimbledon final, when Halep played a perfect match and prevailed 6-2, 6-2, winning her second Grand Slam title. It was one of the clearest wins in a Wimbledon final.
Simona's first victory over Serena was in 2014, at the Tournament of Champions. Then, Halep definitely defeated the American, score 6-0, 6-2, in the group stage. However, Serena got her revenge in the final of the same competition, where she prevailed without emotions, 6-3, 6-0.
Simona Halep, the greatest in Romanian history!
Simona Halep is the best tennis player in Romanian history. He won two Grand Slam trophies, Roland Garros 2018 and Wimbledon 2019. He also played two finals on clay in Paris and one on hard in Melbourne.
The athlete from Constanța spent 64 weeks on the first position of the world ranking.
The career decline began in September 2022, with the allegation of doping from the ITIA. He was on the bar for more than a year, during which his milestones and physical condition suffered.
Returning in 2024, Simo played 5 official matches. She won one single, at the Challenger tournament in Hong Kong, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 against Arina Rodionova.
In 2025 he turned down several invitations, including in the Australian Open qualifiers. He chose to come to the Transylvania Open to deliver his farewell message to his fans.
