Halep plagued by French Open nightmare
Simona Halep admits she is still haunted by her collapse in the French Open final as she gears up for Wimbledon.
The Romanian led by a set and was 3-0 up in the second before going on to lose 4-6 6-4 6-3 against the unseeded Jelena Ostapenko.
It is a defeat that remains a sore point for Halep, who also lost in the 2014 Roland Garros final, and she conceded it was "killing" her.
"I still have, before going to sleep, some thoughts about that final," she said ahead of competing at the Aegon International in Eastbourne.
"The only one, very tough thought is one set, 3-0 up, that I couldn't take that game.
"Now I'm thinking that I should have hit that ball, the return, the second serve, just go for it. But I didn't. So that one is killing me, actually."
Halep revealed that some rest and relaxation on a Greek beach had aided her recovery, refuelling her desire to get back on the court.
"I had a few days home chilling, and then I have been on holiday four days. I came back and started to play tennis. I missed tennis," added the 25-year-old.
The world number two is closing in on the summit of the rankings as Angelique Kerber's patchy form continues and Halep is desperate to make it.
"Now that I'm so close, it's like it's coming more into my mind and into my soul," she said. "I really want to get there.
"But I'm close but still far. So I have just to take it match-by-match and do everything I can to be number one. It's going to be a big thing for me."
