A relaxed Simona Halep claimed success at the US Open would be a bonus after declaring her Wimbledon win was ‘job done’.
Romanian Halep claimed her second grand slam title when she triumphed against Serena Williams in last month’s final at the All England Club.
Halep’s US Open record makes pretty grim reading – she has been knocked out in the first round in the last two years – but her dream run at Wimbledon has more than made up for her Flushing Meadows nightmares.
“It can’t be worse than last year and the last two years, actually, to lose in the first round,” said Halep, who also won the 2018 French Open.
“Now I’m feeling really, really good. I’m feeling healthy. I’m feeling fresh to start the new tournament. The pressure is on a little bit, but I’m not thinking about the result at all.
“I did my job this year, let’s say, and now I just have expectations from myself, how good I can be on court, and just, like, feeling good, feeling happy, feeling relaxed.
“I didn’t say I don’t want more. I said that the pressure of doing something special, it’s off. Now what comes, comes as a bonus.
Halep stressed that she was still motivated to win titles and her confidence was high following her Wimbledon win.
“I feel like I have the right game, I have the right physical condition to win a tournament, and to win a grand slam as I did already two times,” she added.