Simona Halep played again at home, in Cluj-Napoca, and the foreign press noted that the athlete’s father burst into tears when 10,000 people chanted the athlete’s name.
Simona Halep’s father cried for seconds when 10,000 people chanted the name of the champion, at the demonstration match at the Sports Festival.
The eyes of Simona Halep’s father were full of tears, when 10,000 people chanted the name of the Romanian
Simona Halep, Romania’s most valuable tennis player of the last two decades, performed again in front of her own spectators. He participated in a demonstration match, together with Andrei Pavel, Horia Tecau, the American Justin Gimelstob and the legends of this sport, the German Steffi Graf and the American Andre Agassi.
Simona’s entrance into the BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca was greeted with cheers by the 10,000 people who took their seats in the stands, chanting her name for minutes on end. It was the moment when the athlete’s father burst into tears, which was caught on camera.
Simona Halep’s return to her roots is a story that transcends the boundaries of sport! In a touching display of affection, the former world No. 1, whose journey in tennis has been full of triumphs and challenges, received a warm welcome during a sporting event in his native Romania.
As every soul present cheered her on, Halep’s father’s eyes filled with tears,” noted Essentially Sports.
The Romanians won both demonstration matches in Cluj-Napoca
The referee of the two demonstration matches was Raluca Olaru, one of Romania’s most valuable doubles players, retired in 2022. The first match featured Tecău and Pavel, respectively, Agassi and Gimelstob.
Only one set was played, and at 3-3, Halep took Pavel’s place, while Graf played alongside Agassi, who has been her husband since October 2001. After only one game, it was back to the opening pairs, and Pavel and Tecau won 6-3.
In the second demonstration match, on one side and the other of the net were Halep and Pavel, respectively, Graf and Agassi, the Romanians winning 8-4.
Steffi Graf was proposed by a Romanian fan
Among many funny moments, there was one reported by the foreign press. Nearly three decades ago, a spectator at Wimbledon asked Graf during a match if she would marry him, and the German’s reaction drew laughter from the stands. “How much money do you have?”, Steffi wanted to know, after which the game continued.
Now, a Romanian asked the same question to Steffi, when he was preparing to serve, laughter invading the hall. This time, the former great player waved her finger that the answer was negative, after which she pointed to Andre Agassi, who was near the net.