"They're always bothering; I think this is what she aims to do" - When Simona Halep addressed Maria Sharapova's "habits" after French Open 2014 loss

Simona Halep once shared her feelings about Maria Sharapova’s on-court habits during her fifth and final Grand Slam win at the 2014 French Open. She also blamed her defeat to the Russian on her seeming lack of self-belief.

After a phenomenal 2013 season that saw her clinch her first six career trophies, Simona Halep continued her supremacy in 2014, winning her seventh title in Qatar. Months later, she also reached the final of the Madrid Open and her first Grand Slam title clash at the French Open. Halep, however, came up short against Maria Sharapova both times.

Just like their final in Madrid, Sharapova required three sets to conquer her inspired opponent on the Parisian clay. The Slam final, though, was much tighter than the one in the Spanish capital.

Maria Sharapova established a 6-4 lead but found herself a break down in the second set as Simona Halep served to force a decider. However, the latter was broken back, courtesy of an unlucky net cord. Despite the setback, Simona Halep snatched the set in the tiebreak 7-6(5). Sharapova opted for an eight-minute break soon after, and Halep failed to capitalize on her momentum in the final set.

"I felt that I had a chance to beat her, but I think I needed a little bit more trust," she told ProTV in November 2014, according to tikitaka.ro.

Sharapova, who received a time violation in the third set, initially led Halep 4-2. She lost her break advantage in the eighth game. On break point, the Russian also appeared to swat imaginary flies, seemingly to kill time. She double-faulted just moments later to level the score 4-4.

Maria Sharapova clinched yet another break in the very next game, though. Notably, Halep lost her first point in that game to an overrule from the chair umpire. She recalled the incident during her interview:

"I didn’t have the spark to win the final set and at 4-4 it was a discussed point and I lost my focus," the 2018 French Open champion said.

When asked whether she was also bothered by Sharapova’s “habits,” she said:

"Yes. They’re always bothering and I think this is what she aims to do."

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"You no longer give them so much importance" – What Simona Halep said about Maria Sharapova's on-court behavior

Halep and Sharapova pictured at the 2014 French Open - Image Source: Getty

Simona Halep lost all three of her clashes against Maria Sharapova in 2014. One thing that changed with experience, though, is that she came to accept her rival’s habits. She emphasized the improvements she made during her three-set Cincinnati loss.

"But once you are more experienced you no longer give them (the habits) so much importance," she said in the aforementioned interview from 2014.

"For example, at Cincinnati we played for the 3rd time this year and I was more focused on my game," Halep added.

Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep faced each other nine times on tour, with the former winning their first seven clashes and losing their last two.