Simona Halep popular with fans who want to kiss her

Simona Halep exploded in popularity and recognition after going deep into several grand slams last season, which helped her catapult to the No. 2 ranking in the world. The Romanian tennis player says the turning point came when she reached the finals of the French Open last year. After that, she began being recognized everywhere.

Halep, who advanced to the third round of the US Open Thursday, talked with ESPN Friday about her newfound fame.

“Everyone was recognizing me everywhere I went,” Halep told ESPN. “Everyone was asking me for a photo. Some people were asking to kiss me.”

Her comment that people were asking her for kisses led ESPN’s LZ Granderson to ask whether she felt she needed security. After all, we’ve seen how crazed some fans can be, so you can never be too careful.

“I don’t need security because people are nice and they are just congratulating me when they see me, so it’s fine,” she said.

After last year’s breakthrough, Halep had a disappointing stretch this season. She lost in the second round at the French Open and the first round at Wimbledon. Those early exists seemed to be proof that she still needs to adjust to her spot as one of the top players in the world. Halep concedes all the extra attention stressed her out at first, but now she says she is used to it.

Once known for her DD-sized breasts which she had reduced to improve her tennis game, Halep is still popular with fans. Thankfully for her, she’s really figured out her game and is now excelling on the court.