SINGAPORE—Simona Halep, who lost to Maria Sharapova in their round-robin match at the WTA Finals, says the five-time Grand Slam champion always plays her best against her.
Sharapova is now 6-0 against Halep. In 2014, the Russian won their matches at Roland Garros, Cincinnati, and Madrid. At the WTA Finals, Sharapova, who is playing just her second event since Wimbledon, won 6-4, 6-4.
“I feel she always plays well against me, yeah,” Halep said. “She played really well today, even if she didn't play for a long time, since Wimbledon. She knows how to play. She's a champion. She has experience. I can say I feel she's playing really well against me always, but that's tennis. I have to accept and to do things better.”
Sharapova said that while she was pleased with her win, she doesn’t feel like she was completely on top of her game.
“As a player it's not about playing your best tennis in order to win, it's about finding a way to win,” she said. “I don't think that I played unbelievable tennis today. I still made errors, but cut down on my errors from the first match.
"I've always been a player that goes into a match and I don't seek perfection because I don't know if that's possible. At least I've never proven to myself that's possible. You're always going to make mistakes and errors. Sometimes, and most of the time, I feel happier when I get through a match and I didn't play my best tennis but found a way to win. That gives me a lot more confidence.”
Coached by Salvador Navarro, U.S. Open champion Flavia Pennetta says she sees big benefits whenever he comes down on the court to discuss the match with her during a changeover. Pennetta, who is 1-1 at the WTA Finals, will play Maria Sharapova on Thursday.
“When you are in the court you don't see a lot of things,” Pennetta said. “Outside of the court you always see it much better. So if my coach tell me to do something, doesn't matter how I have the feeling.
“So get in the court and told me, 'Okay, push more, try to be more aggressive. Doesn't matter if I feel I am already did it. He say, 'No, try to do that.' I say, 'Okay. I will try.' You don't have a lot of alternative. If you call him, it's just because he see everything much better. From outside you can see everything so easily and better.”
The Italian, who has said that she will retire at the end of this year, reaffirmed that she will not play Rome next May.
“No, in Rome. I will go in Rome for sure to see everything,” said Pennetta. “It's my home. It's the place when I was young always was my goal, no, to go there and play. I think it's going to be nice to have something special in Rome, but not to play.”