After winning the Dubai Tennis Championships, world No. 3 Simona Halep says she is ready to purchase a home, back home in Romania. The 24-year-old defeated Karolina Pliskova to win the tournament. “For sure tomorrow, I'm going to the mall for a little bit to choose something, but not very big,” said Halep, who received $456,000 for her win. “When I go home, I will look, I think, for a house.”
At 5’6”, Halep is one of the shorter players on tour, but she is considered to be one of the fastest, which she uses to her advantage.
“When I was young I knew that I would be a short girl, not very tall,” said Halep. “My idol was Justine Henin [who won seven Grand Slams] because we have the same height. So I think we are faster, we are much faster than taller girls.
“We cannot serve like 190 kilometers, so we try to be aggressive, to take the ball very quickly, and to finish the points. I’m trying not to focus on the height of my opponent, just to play my tennis and to open the angles because it’s the most important.”