The Sisyphus-like qualities that often flavor Halep’s matches are yet another manifestation of the ups and downs that define contemporary existence among the WTA elite. When Serena Williams is in the mix, it’s largely been a race for second. With Serena away, there have been intermittent success stories—Angelique Kerber’s two major titles in 2016 the highlight—but scarcely sustainable excellence. Kerber, for example, dropped out of the Top 20 the vert next season.
Consider the desultory way Wimbledon winner Garbine Muguruza lost in her first match here at Indian Wells to a player with a triple-digit ranking. US Open champion Sloane Stephens has struggled to win matches. Ditto for Roland Garros holder Jelena Ostapenko. Multi-Slam winners Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova remain sluggish. A Venus Williams major victory would now be more of a pleasant surprise than a strident expectation. Karolina Pliskova and Johanna Konta have cumulatively reached one major final. And you’d have to be an exceptional optimist to think that Wozniacki’s run Down Under will break her out from the pack and make her anything other than just another contender at future majors.
And then, offering her own brand of persistence, there is Halep, technically atop the rankings, but presiding more like a foot soldier than a queen. Fiery, demanding, wounded, ready to broadly smile in relief following a hard-fought victory. Difficult as each of those Slam defeats has been, immediately after them, no doubt likely after an upsetting post-handshake moment, Halep has conducted herself with class and, soon enough, picked herself off the mat to fight yet again.
“I have to work on myself,” said Halep. “Things are not coming and going like that…I have just to put the thoughts, like, in the right place.”
Surely, hard work should be rewarded. Just what have the tennis gods planned for Halep?
**WTA Miami (March 20-April 1)
-Tennis Channel Plus has Miami Open covered with up to 7 WTA courts, catch all the action live beginning Tuesday, March 20**
**WTA Indian Wells On-Demand
-Watch your favorite WTA matches from Indian Wells on-demand on Tennis Channel Plus**
Get Tennis Channel Plus at BuyTCPlus.com