Former World No. 1 Simona Halep, who won two Grand Slams before a doping suspension, announced his pension on Tuesday following a loss at Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Halep, 33, fell to Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-1, in her first match 2025 and then informed the audience in their home country in their decision.
“I wanted to come here today in Cluj to play in front of you and say goodbye on the track to tennis,” she said in Romanian. “Although my performance was not so good, it was still my soul and I am very happy that you came. I wonder if I will come back again but at the moment the last time I have played here.
“I don’t want to cry. It’s a beautiful thing. I became world # 1, I won the Grand Slams. That’s all I wanted. Life continues. There’s life after tennis, and I hope we will see each other again Of course, I will continue to play tennis but being competitive requires much more and right now it is no longer possible.
Halep started his career after being relaxed with a four -year baptism ban that led to her suspension in October 2022. The ban was reduced in February 2024 to nine months, and since her time away from the game exceeded it, she was eligible to return to WTA -The tour immediately.
She played a limited schedule in 2024 and ended 1-4 in her matches.
Halep withdrew from qualifying to last month’s Australian Open, with reference to knee and shoulder pain. She did not compete in the ASB classic in Auckland, a setting for the Australian Open after feeling discomfort from playing in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
Halep won the French Open 2018 and Wimbledon 2019. She reached world no. 1 on October 9, 2017, but is currently ranked as no. 870.
The 24-hour single master reached the final in three other Grand Slam-Frirch Open 2014 and 2017 and Australian Open 2018.
-Field level media
