Teen tennis star has breast reduction surgery in bid to boost her game

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 06:49 EDT, 26 May 2010

Having a large chest guarantees attention, but Romanian tennis hopeful Simona Halep couldn't get rid of hers soon enough.

The 18-year-old, who was a junior champion at the French Open in 2008, had a growing male fan base thanks to her 34DD breasts.

But the extra weight on her chest was uncomfortable and caused severe back pain, which affected her performance on the court.

In a bid to boost her game, she spent last summer recovering from breast reduction surgery, which took her cup size down to a more modest 34C.

Before: Romanian tennis star Simona Halep in the Junior French Open in 2008. Last summer she had breast reduction surgery to improve her game

After: Halep, pictured on Monday, is yet to reap the rewards of her surgery after she was beaten at the French Open by Samantha Stosur

She revealed her new-look figure at this year's French Open tournament in Paris.

Unfortunately Halep, who is ranked 114 in the world, was still beaten on Monday by former semi-finalist, Australian Samantha Stosur.

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Explaining her decision to fans, who petitioned in an attempt to get her to reconsider, she said: 'It’s the weight that troubles me. My ability to react quickly, my breasts make me uncomfortable when I play.

'I don’t like them in my everyday life, either. I would have gone for surgery even if I hadn’t been a sportswoman.'

Personal choice: Halep admits that she has never liked her breasts, and would have had surgery even if she hadn't been a sportswoman

Olympics or bust: 400m hurdler Jana Pittman-Rawlinson, before her breast implants were removed earlier this year

But she is not the first sportswomen to have been forced to undergo a breast reduction to improve her chances, and if the experiences of other athletes are anything to go by it may take her some time to get used to her new body.

Australian 400m hurdler Jana Pittman-Rawlinson, 27, who had breast implants after the birth of her son, had them removed earlier this year in an effort to improve her chances in the London 2012 Olympics.

'Every time I raced I panicked about whether I was letting my country down, all for my own vanity,' she said.

'I absolutely loved having bigger boobs, but I don’t want to short-change Australia either.'

Darts player Andy Fordham experienced a similar situation after he lost lost an incredible 10st (63.5kg).

He said: 'The only problem with playing darts now is that my weight loss has affected my balance. It’s been like learning to throw in a new body.'

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