Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency:  Golder’s News And Sport 

One of the first people to coach tennis superstar Simona Halep has died in Romania after suffering a heart attack.

Romanian tennis star Halep, 28, mourned the loss of former trainer Nicusor Ene, 61, in a social media post after hearing that he died of a heart attack on Saturday 21st December.

Halep wrote: “Professor Ene left us, he was a gentle person who did not argue with me once in all the four years in which he taught me absolutely everything about tennis.

“He was a fundamental brick in building my career. I am very happy that he was with me on the stage in Constanta when I celebrated the trophy at Wimbledon. Rest in peace.”

Constanta is a city in south-eastern Romania where Halep was born and currently resides.

The tennis star heard the news after she “landed in Dubai where I am preparing for the new year” in a call with her mum which “ended with the sad news.”

Ene, best known for being one of Halep’s first mentors, reportedly suffered a heart attack in Constanta on Thursday 19th December.

Local media said he was transported to a hospital in the Romanian capital Bucharest but died two days later on Saturday 21st December.

Ene and Halep worked together for four years at the Tennis Club Bright in Constanta from the time Halep was eight years old until she was 12.

Halep was last coached by former Australian tennis star Darren Cahill, 54, however, the pair have reportedly recently split and Halep will start the coming season without a coach.

She was ranked world number one in the WTA for a total of 64 weeks between 2017 and 2019. She is currently ranked fourth in the world.

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