Simona Halep (33 years old) announced her retirement from tennis on Tuesday in Cluj-Napoca, after losing the match against Lucia Bronzetti at the Transylvania Open.
Simona lost to the Italian player Lucia Bronzetti, 1-6, 1-6, and at the end of the match, she delivered an emotional speech on the court, announcing her retirement from tennis during the press conference.
Simona Halep announces her retirement from tennis
She stated that she is emotionally drained and said, "I understood that it is the right decision."
"I am at peace, I know I have done nothing wrong in relation to tennis. I just want to rest, I am an emotionally exhausted professional tennis player. I want to let life surprise me. I don't know what will happen in life, but it's a 'Goodbye' from tennis, here in Cluj, at home. I understood that it is the right decision, that if you don't train every day, you can't cope. I have no regrets, we look ahead, maybe this is how it was meant to be," said Halep during a press conference in Cluj.
Emotional speech by Simona Halep on the court at the Transylvania Open
On the court, right after the match with Bronzetti, she said that "it requires much more" to be competitive, referring to the injuries she has suffered recently that prevent her from playing at the desired level, after escaping a doping suspension.
"It's a bit hard to talk, first of all, I want to thank you. This court is my home, I have always received a lot of love here. Your energy has always been what filled my soul. It's a special emotion! It was evident today that I could barely breathe on the court.
From a sports point of view, I am a very fulfilled person. What I have achieved, I can't even say that I dreamed of it when I was a child.
I don't know if it's with sadness or joy, and this decision is with a clear conscience. My body can't handle it anymore. That's why I wanted to come here, to play, to say goodbye on the tennis court. Even though I didn't play very well.
Who knows if I will come back, but for now, it's the last time I played here. I don't want to cry.
Life goes on after tennis. To be competitive it requires much more, and at this moment, it's no longer possible.
My parents did everything for me to reach where I want. (…) Thank you again, mom and dad! I have been lucky! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!" said Simona Halep on the court, after the match with Lucia Bronzetti, at Pro Arena.
Impressive career for Simona Halep
Simona Halep had an impressive career in tennis. She won two Grand Slam titles, Roland Garros 2018 and Wimbledon 2019, played in three other finals (two at Roland Garros and one at the Australian Open). Our athlete was the world number one in the WTA rankings for 64 weeks.
In 2022, Simona Halep tested positive for Roxadustat, after a match played in the first round at the US Open against Daria Snigur on August 29. Since then, a dark period began for Simona. Initially, ITIA imposed a four-year suspension on the Romanian, which was reduced to just nine months by TAS.
Halep returned to tennis in March 2024, after a year and a half on the sidelines, provisionally suspended, awaiting the ITIA verdict. Since then, Simona Halep has played six matches and won only one, against Arina Rodionova in Hong Kong in October 2024.