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Roland Garros clay: A layered cake - with red frosting
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See how Serena Williams became one of the all-time greats
Simona Halep is enjoying a wonderful clay court season.
Earlier this month the world No. 4 became the first player since Serena Williams to successfully defend her Madrid Open title.
The Romanian is the in-form player on the red dirt and, unsurprisingly, is the bookmakers’ favorite to win the French Open, which starts on May 28.
Should she triumph in Paris, it would be her first grand slam.
But what is the secret behind the 25-year-old’s success on the clay this year? A little bit of chocolate mousse every day, she says.
“I love chocolate and I loved to have chocolate mousse in Madrid,” Halep, who tops the WTA’s Insider Clay Court Power Rankings, tells CNN.
“I always have few a day and the story was that I had it before the matches. I had a chocolate mousse before the final and after. I just love chocolate mousse and they have it in Paris as well.
“I’m gonna continue it every day so I’m eating a little bit of chocolate every day.”
Victory over France’s Kristina Mladenovic in the Spanish capital secured Halep – the first female player to reach three Madrid finals – a first title of the season.
She reached the final of last week’s Italian Open, but suffered an ankle injury when leading Elina Svitolina 5-2 in the first set and went on to lose in three.
The Romanian said on Instagram Wednesday that she had torn a ligament and was “50-50” for Roland Garros.
“We are remaining very positive,” she wrote, after arriving early in Paris for treatment.
In the absence of high-profile stars, organizers will hope Halep recovers for Sunday’s opener.
World No. 2 Serena Williams, who is expecting her first child, will not return to the Tour until 2018 and the American’s maternity leave has opened up the women’s draw in Paris, which has very few previous grand slam winners.
Two-time grand slam winner Victoria Azarenka is not scheduled to return to the Tour until next month after giving birth to her son, Leo, last year.
And Maria Sharapova will not be competing in Paris after organizers denied the two-time champion a wild card following her return from a doping ban.
But should Halep’s ankle heal, the fourth seed will not be thinking of lifting Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.
“It means a lot that I could win the Madrid Open, but it doesn’t mean that I’m thinking to win, or that I have a chance to win, the French Open,” says Halep, who will play Jana Cepelova in the first round, should the Romanian be fit.
“I’m not thinking that at all. I just want to take this tournament as important as Madrid was, to play every match as good as I can and to win every match I play. But I’m not thinking about the results.
“I’m a different player a little bit,” she says. “I feel stronger mentally and physically. I think I also changed some things in my game. I’m older, I am more mature but, yeah, you can never compare the results and the years.
