Simona Halep making most of the moment before turning attention to Wimbledon

Simona Halep’s first reaction to being asked about Wimbledon was one of mock horror. “Oh, don’t ask me that because I’m going to have a big holiday now,” the Romanian said at her post-match press conference following her 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Sloane Stephens here in the French Open final. “I just want to enjoy this moment.”

Later in the evening, nevertheless, as Halep talked to a small group of reporters at Roland Garros, the world No 1 acknowledged that it would not be long before her thoughts would turn to grass.

“For sure I will be ready in my head to take another step of my career,” she said. “Maybe this will change my vision of the pressure and everything. I don’t know how it’s going to be, but for the moment I will be off for a few days and I’ll try just to get ready, to recover and go to play on grass.”

With only three weeks to go before plays starts at the All England Club – that is actually a week more than was the case until three years ago when Wimbledon moved back a week in the calendar – it is a huge ask to expect players to peak at the climax of both the clay-court and grass seasons.

Since 1974 only three women (Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams) have done the French Open-Wimbledon double in the same year. Over the same period the feat has been performed by just three men (Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer).

Halep, nevertheless, enjoyed two of her best runs at Wimbledon in years when she made the final here. Following her loss to Maria Sharapova in a gruelling three-hour final in 2014, Halep reached the semi-finals at the All England Club before losing to Eugenie Bouchard. Last year the 26-year-old Romanian followed up her devastating loss to Jelena Ostapenko here by reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, where she lost to Johanna Konta in one of the matches of the tournament.

However, Halep gave an insight into her mentality when she explained: “[Those years were] a little bit different because after losing a final you get motivated to do more. Now I don’t know how it’s going to be.”

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Halep usually plays in one warm-up tournament before Wimbledon. This year she is expected to play at Eastbourne in the week before the Championships start. That will give her time to take stock of all that has happened in the last 12 months, during which time she has played in three Grand Slam finals and become world No 1.

Asked what kind of holiday she would take, Halep said: “I just want to be quiet wherever I go, not seeing people, not facing more pressure, because every time now I go home I will have so many people waiting for me. It’s not tough to manage these moments and of course they are beautiful, but my holiday looks as though it will be boring, – just chilling, sleeping and eating.”

Some players have struggled to reach the same heights again after winning their first Grand Slam title. How did Halep think she might fare? “I’ve tried to learn something from other players and how they are really focused on the Grand Slams,” she said. “I couldn’t do that in the past. For me every tournament is important and I feel that if I don’t go into them with 100 per cent focus I will not be ready for the Grand Slams.

“That’s just my thinking. It’s just my way to play this sport. I think it helped me to get the experience from all the tournaments, to see that I’m able to win the mandatory tournaments and beat these players, who are the same people I will face in Grand Slams, then I will win a Grand Slam one day.”

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Despite her previous disappointments in Grand Slam finals – she also lost to Caroline Wozniacki in this year’s Australian Open final – Halep believes that going to the top of the world rankings and building on her position there has helped her.

“I think it made me more relaxed,” she said. “I was enjoying [my tennis] more. And if I realised one dream I felt for sure the next one would happen as well. I just had it in my mind all the time that if I work I will get it.”

She added: “To play in three Grand Slam finals over 12 months means a lot for me. The fact that I didn’t give up after the one here last year means that I’m strong inside. I do this just because I love this sport. I love to be competitive on court and I’ve learned in those 12 months that if you don’t give up you are able to do anything.”

Where does her inner strength come from? “I don’t know, actually, because I think it’s natural. And also, with the people around me, we have worked on these things. I improved it and I made it better day by day.

“I always knew that if you don’t give up, you will be better, though I can’t say now that I knew it was going to happen. I was dreaming of it but you are not sure, even for the next day. I just take things day by day. I have learned this. I think to give everything I have on court is the best thing to do to win tournaments.”

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Halep said that Darren Cahill, her coach, had told her that this was “his best day”. That was quite a statement considering the success that Cahill had with Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi.

The 5ft 6in Romanian also agreed that hers was a triumph for shorter players around the world. “If I’m here it’s because I believe I have my chance every time,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what height or weight you are. You are there just to play tennis and if you are good enough and well prepared in the practices and if you work hard you are able to do anything.”

Winning the French Open had been Halep’s greatest goal ever since she won the junior title here 10 years ago. Asked what her ambitions for the future would be following her triumph here, Halep said: “It’s tough to think about that now. I want to enjoy this moment. I have worked a lot for it. But I will play for many years. I have many years ahead and I will keep dreaming that these moments will be repeated.”