Simona Halep: Honorary citizen of Bucharest perhaps most important title of my career

The Romanian tennis player and once again No. 1 WTA Simona Halep has been granted on Monday night the Honorary Citizen of Bucharest title by General Mayor Gabriela Firea, in a ceremony at Excelsior Theatre.

"Thank you very much for this title. It is perhaps the most important in my career. When I first came to Bucharest ten years ago, this city was strange to me, a Constanta-born. And yet today - the more so today - I can say I call this city 'home'. Thank you for all the nice words, to all those who held my back and as well those who criticise me, because when getting criticised one gets motivated to be better. I hope I'll further have good results, to make the people watching me happy. I know it is not easy, they wake up in the night to watch my games. This is a special moment and I want to thank my country. Even if not a very evolved system, I think I had all that I needed to become the world's No. 1," she said.

City Mayor Gabriela Firea emphasised in her turn that the title granted to Simona Halep is awarded in the very year the Romanians celebrate the country's Centennial.

The managing director of the Bucharest Municipal Sport Club (CSMB) Gabriela Szabo added that within the CSMB a tennis section is operating and that Simona Halep is a 'source of inspiration' for many children.

The event was attended by the chairman of the Romanian Tennis Federation, George Cosac, the former tennis players Ilie Nastase, Andrei Pavel, alongside Simona's parents.

Simona Halep is Romania's first tennis player getting to No. 1 WTA, firstly in October 2017, then on 26 February 2018. Simona Halep has won 16 WTA tournaments, and was a finalist at Roland Garros (2014 and 2017), at the Champions Tournament (2014) and at Australian Open (2018).

Halep afterwards declared that she wished for Bucharest to have a hall for the Fed Cup games.

"Of course [I wish, ed. n.] a hall where we could play the Fed Cup games, and many more tournaments, too, and children to have the opportunity to train and there be as many champions as possible," Halep added, in a press statement, when asked which would be the first thing she'd wish for Bucharest, from her new position as Honorary Citizen.AGERPRES(RO - author: Irinela Visan, editor: Antonia Nita; EN - author: Maria Voican, editor: Simona Iacob)