LONDON, Great Britain – Five-time Wimbledon men’s singles champion Novak Djokovic has hailed the quality of Simona Halep after the Romanian claimed her first title at The Championships.
Halep, the 2017 French Open winner, added a second major to her haul with a spectacular performance against Serena Williams in the ladies’ singles final, defeating the American, 6-2, 6-2 in what she proclaimed to be “the best match of my life”.
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Djokovic echoed those sentiments as he spoke at the Champions' Dinner.
“She’s got it all – she’s got the game, she’s got the fighting spirit and now she’s got the experience,” the Serb said. “It was really impressive how she handled herself in her first Wimbledon final against an all-time great, Serena, who is a fierce competitor, who has won Wimbledon titles many, many times before. She has been in that position many times before. Simona showed why she’s a great champion.
“It’s awesome to know that small countries like Romania and Serbia – neighboring countries – are doing so well on the world stage.
“Huge congratulations!”
Halep, meanwhile, had kind words for the ATP World No.1, who is set to go down in the history of the sport as one of the all-time greats.
“I have to ask him how he’s done it,” Halep said. “He’s a great champion. I always learn from champions and try to improve as much as possible. Being relaxed on court, I’ve learned there’s a greater chance to win big matches.”
The 27-year-old’s triumph at SW19 has propelled her to WTA World No.4 and up to second on the Porsche Race to Shenzhen.
