London (AFP)

She works hard, runs everywhere and never stops, even thinking: Simona Halep won Saturday at Wimbledon her second Grand Slam tournament, crushing Serena Williams in the final (6-2, 6-2) thanks to her adaptation to the grass and his new philosophy.

The discrete Romanian (27 years) does not have the same media coverage as the other tenors of the circuit like Serena Williams or Naomi Osaka. An "antidiva", according to the words of the prestigious American Sports Illustrated magazine.

Still, the native of Constanta, on the shores of the Black Sea, has finished the last two seasons in the skin of a world No.1.

Better, after Roland Garros in 2018, she has just signed a triumph at Wimbledon, crushing in 55 minutes Serena Williams. And yet, the Romanian did not appreciate the turf before the fortnight London.

Worse ... she had never thought she could one day win at the All England Club.

"It was hard to believe because we do not even have a grass field in Romania," she said after the final, like a kid at the thought of playing in front of the royal family. "I never thought I could win on the grass ... with all those players who are very tall and serve with a lot of power."

- "Changed my game" -

Small (1.68 m), she actually built her game on its ability to bring back almost everything, while relying on a very nice reading of the game. In short, not really the ideal style on the fast and slippery surface of Wimbledon, where the supports are sometimes hidden.

On the advice of his new coach, his compatriot Daniel Dobre, she changed her game a bit on the grass.

The player, already flawless, has enriched his panoply of blows, gaining confidence at all levels.

"I changed my game a little bit, I play a few amps, I use the slice more," she said during the fortnight. "Now, when the ball comes in, I know what to do ... (...) Maybe I feel confident and I'm not afraid of how the ball bounces, and I feel so stable on legs, which is very important on the grass. "

"It's a little dangerous when you play on the grass because the feet are not really stable like on the hard or the clay, that's why I prefer these surfaces," he said. -she insists. "But now, I feel it better, in the hands, in the legs, and also in my mind, which is very important (...) Every time the ball comes to me, I have the impression of know what to do with it. "

-Too much thought

This fighter, very inspired by Rafael Nadal, his bravery and his ability to work, did not miss much anymore to get to the next level.

With this success in London, she seems to have crossed this mental cape, she who suffered regularly air holes during the season.

"I started to learn to keep things simple because I was complicating all too much," she said when it came to the semi-finals. "I was thinking too much, sometimes I had too many options to play, and I did not choose the right one at the right time."

"I have been working with a psychologist for almost two years now, she has also tried to understand me and make me accept everything that I do wrong on the ground," said the Romanian, very happy to now be able to relax in her free moments, a liberation for the one who recognized that she "thought too much".

After realizing the "dream" of his mother to win on the central court of Wimbledon, Halep will be able to return to the circuit full of certainties.

Because if some players are afraid of never winning a new Grand Slam, it is certainly not her case: "I'm already looking forward to the next tournaments and upcoming challenges," she launched just after the final .

© 2019 AFP