Simona Halep (33 years old) made a statement full of sincerity about the moment she decided to retire.
Retired from tennis in February 2025, Simona spoke about the moment of retirement and said that she felt „very bad” on the court at the Transylvania Open, the tournament where she retired, so she decided to end her career.
Halep revealed that even her parents did not know from the beginning that the match with Lucia Bronzetti in Cluj-Napoca was going to be the last of her career.
"The matches in Abu Dhabi, the pains from the match with Rybakina made me realize that I needed to retire. I couldn't bear that physical pain again, those emotions that I hadn't felt for a long time, and I said 'stop.' Perhaps that was an important point.
I didn't decide then, in Abu Dhabi, to stop after the matches in Cluj. I talked to my parents and friends, and I was planning to stop later.
In Cluj, even my parents didn't know I was going to retire. However, the feeling I had on the court was very bad. I realized that it wasn't my place anymore and physically, I really can't do it anymore.
After the match, I went to my parents and told them that I was going to announce my retirement, and they encouraged me and said, 'OK, if you feel that way, do it.' And that's how the retirement went," stated Simona Halep on Digi Sport.