Halep happy with no coach

Simona Halep insists she is more “relaxed” and “chilled” now she has ended her brief partnership with coach Thierry van Cleemput.

Simona Halep (5/1 – French Open Outright) says she’s happy to pursue her goals throughout the rest of the season without a coach after ending her brief spell working with Thierry van Cleemput.

The Romanian has confirmed she will no longer work with the Belgian coach, who had only been in partnership with her for just over a week and was by her side for the first time at a tournament in Qatar last week.

Halep made it all the way to the final in Doha in the Qatar Open, losing to Elise Mertens 3-6 6-4 6-3 on Saturday, but has now decided to end her brief partnership with Van Cleemput, revealing the two did just not gel together.

“So we tried for one week and it’s finished,” Halep told WTA Insider. “We decided to stop because we are not a good fit together. He’s a good person, a very nice person, but on court the chemistry is not there.”

Halep is set to move back to No.2 in the world on Monday and insists she is not on the lookout for a new coach to replace Van Cleemput, saying she is happy to operate on her own terms and believes she has the experience to cope without someone in her corner.

She added: “I can say that I am not looking [for a coach] at the moment. I have my team, I have my hitting partner with me. I feel good like this and I will take my time.

“I know I said that when I started the year and then I changed my mind because I felt I need a coach. Still, now I feel like I need that freedom, just to stay and just to play.

“Now I feel more relaxed, I feel more chilled. The priorities are changing a little bit. I’m more responsible for myself and I try to solve my own problems, on court and off court.”

Halep, who has won one Grand Slam title so far when coming out on top in last year’s French Open, will hope to be among the leading contenders at Roland Garros, Wimbledon (16/1 – Tournament Outright) and at the US Open (8/1 – Tournament Outright) in New York this year.

Odds subject to change.