Former world No. 1 Simona Halep admitted she was close to retiring after the 2021 season as she was unsure whether she could get back to her pre-injury level. Last year, a calf injury forced Halep to skip the French Open, Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. Missing three major events was a difficult pill to swallow for Halep and it put her in a bit of a dark place. After a challenging 2021 season, Halep started 2022 by winning the Melbourne Summer Set 1. This month, Halep announced Patrick Mouratoglou as her new full-time coach. When discussing her decision to hire …