'I'm pretty sure I deserved it' – Halep accepts Cahill's 'disgrace' verdict

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'I'm pretty sure I deserved it' – Halep accepts Cahill's 'disgrace' verdict image

Simona Halep believes she deserved the blunt criticism after coach Darren Cahill labelled the Wimbledon champion a "disgrace" during her WTA Finals defeat to Karolina Pliskova.

World number five Halep slipped to a 6-0 2-6 6-4 loss on Friday, as her season came to an end in disappointing fashion.

However the biggest talking point from the match was the firm-worded pep talk Cahill delivered to the Romanian star.

During a courtside discussion with her coach, midway through the deciding set, Cahill condemned the 28-year-old's performance by saying: "The last three games you have been an absolute disgrace on court."

“Come on, you can’t win the match doing what you’ve been doing the last three games. You’ve got to reel it in.

“Get your focus back between the lines. For no reason, you’ve lost it here ... So you have a chance to define yourself now in this set. Forget the result, how are you going to finish this match? It’s up to you.

“You can finish with full energy and full focus or you can continue doing what you’ve been doing the last three games and you have no chance to win. “So at least give yourself a chance by pulling it back in. This is on you. Get your attitude back on track and you will win this match. I have full belief.

“You have a choice here how to define yourself as an athlete and a competitor.”

Cahill's tough words did not have the desired effect, with Pliskova going on to progress to the semi-finals where world number one Ashleigh Barty awaits her.

Halep, however, has conceded her coach was right to be so harsh on her.

"I'm pretty sure that I deserved it because I was not calm," Halep said in a news conference, according to WTA Insider.

"I changed something in my attitude.

"Everyone knows that I'm working on that. I was a little bit p***** at myself that I did that. I'm sure that I made him p***** also."

Since her superb run to Wimbledon glory, former world number one Halep has failed to find her best form, only making it into the last eight in one of the five tournaments she has participated in since July.

Cahill's comments divided opinions online on Saturday, with some believing he'd crossed the line, whilst others arguing it was just basic motivation from the Australian mentor.



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