basis for this style of play that is both aggressive and defensive. Halep's favourite surface is clay. She was described as "no one's idea of a grass-court player [before Wimbledon]" after winning the title there in 2019. Halep has had success on all surfaces, winning 10 hard court titles in 18 finals, 7 clay court titles in 16 finals, and both of her grass court finals. Although she prefers clay, Halep has a record of just 3–7 in finals at Premier 5, Premier Mandatory, and Grand Slam events on this surface. She has fared better in high-level finals on hard courts, compiling a record of 5–7 across those three tournament tiers and the WTA Finals. She has won a Grand Slam title on clay and grass courts but not hard courts, coming closest with her runner-up finish at the 2018 Australian Open. Halep is one of the best returners on the WTA Tour. She finished the 2018 season ranked first in percentage of first serve return points won at 42.9%, fourth in percentage of second serve return points won at 60.8%, first in percentage of return games won at 48.5%, and ninth in percentage of break points won at 50.1% among all players with at least ten matches. She is not ranked as highly in serving, in part due to her short stature at . Nonetheless, she was ranked 21st in percentage of service points won in 2018 among players with at least ten matches. Coaching team As a junior, Halep was coached by Ioan Stan in Constanța. She began working with Firicel Tomai in 2008. After five years, she switched coaches to Adrian Marcu, a former top 200 player. During this time, she also worked with Andrei Mlendea. Despite having a breakthrough year with six titles in 2013, Halep left Marcu at the end of the season. She hired Wim Fissette, a former coach of Kim Clijsters, at the start of 2014. Fissette was the first coach she worked with who was not Romanian. Under Fissette, Halep made her first Grand Slam final at the 2014 French Open. Nonetheless, she switched coaches at the end of the season to another Romanian coach, Victor Ioniță, who was also a former top 200 player. Veteran coach Thomas Högstedt also served as a consultant early in the year. At the start of 2016, Halep began working with Darren Cahill, a former top