Simona Halep says that while she had a terrific season on clay last year, including a run to the Roland Garros final, she's open to tactical changes. The world No. 3 is the second seed at this week's clay-court tournament in Stuttgart behind Maria Sharapova, who beat the Romanian in three sets to win the 2014 French Open.
"I have to change somethings from hard to clay courts, and maybe first I need a match to remember my style from the last years, my game," said Halep, who will play Garbine Muguruza in her first match in Stuttgart. (Halep lost to Muguruza in Fed Cup competition this February.) "But on clay you have time to think about the points, and I like to think. I always like to know what I'm doing for every shot. I like to be a little creative on the court. It's my style. If I see something that's not working for me in a match, I'm changing it."
The 23-year old also admitted that she didn't try hard enough in the Australian Open quarterfinals against Ekaterina Makarova, where she lost 6-4, 6-0. Since then she has won Dubai, Indian Wells, and reached the semifinals of Miami, falling 7-5 in the third set to Serena Williams.
"After that match against Makarova, I said I'll never give up again," Halep said. "It gave me more power to fight during matches and just go on court and try to play my best every single point. And it is going to help me for sure, because that's my style, fighting until the end in important matches. I believe in this, and if I feel good and fight until the end, I believe in myself."