By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday, February 4 2025
Simona Halep announced her retirement on home soil in Cluj-Napoca on Tuesday, telling her fans that she doesn't have what it takes to be competitive anymore.
Photo Source: Getty
Did Simona Halep just play her last tennis match as a professional? It does appear to be so.
The two-time major champion made a surprise announcement after falling 6-1 6-1 to Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti on Tuesday, telling the crowd at the Transylvania Open that playing at a competitive level is no longer possible for her.
"I wanted to come here today in Cluj today in front of you and say goodbye on the court to tennis," the 33-year-old said in Romanian.
"Even though my performance wasn’t very good, it was still my soul and I’m very glad that you came. I wonder if I’ll come back again but for now, it’s the last time I’ve played here.
“I don’t want to cry. It’s a beautiful thing. I became world No 1, I won Grand Slams. It’s all I wanted. Life goes on. There is life after tennis and I hope we will see each other again. Of course, I will continue to play tennis but to be competitive requires much more and at this moment, it is no longer possible.”
Halep had her career disrupted by a doping ban, which kept her off the court for nearly 19 months. She was reinstated last year after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her ban, but the former World No.1 has only won one of the six matches she has played.
Halep tested positive for the banned drug Roxadustat at the 2022 U.S. Open, and later claimed that she was exposed to a contaminated supplement, which caused her positive test.
During her prime she was a force in the women’s game, claiming major titles at Roland-Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019. Her Wimbledon final against Serena Williams was one of her most dominant performances, and one of the most sparking Centre Court final performances in the Open Era. Halep made just three unforced errors in the 6-2, 6-2 thrashing of the all-time great.
Halep spent a total of 64 weeks at No.1 and was the WTA’s year-end No.1 in 2017 and 2018.
After she returned to the tour, a knee injury stifled Halep’s progress and she wasn’t able to play the physical, counterpunching style she became known for.