Two-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No. 1 Simona Halep has retired from tennis after a farewell appearance in her native Romania. Following a defeat to Lucia Bronzetti on Tuesday at the Transylvania Open in Cluj, the 33-year-old addressed her home crowd to announce her decision.
"I feel both sadness and joy—both emotions are running through me right now," Halep said in her emotional on-court remarks. "But I’m making this decision with a peaceful heart. My body can no longer sustain the effort it takes to get back to where I once was, and I know what that requires.
"That’s why I came here to Cluj—to play in front of you and to say goodbye."
Champion at Roland Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, Halep competed 12 times at the US Open—including her final major appearance in 2022. Her best New York results were semifinal and quarterfinal finishes in 2015 and 2016. In addition to her two major crowns, Halep also reached the Roland Garros final in 2014 and 2017, and the Australian Open final in 2018.
Halep rose to world No. 1 in October 2017 and held the top spot for a total of 64 weeks between two stints. She finished both the 2017 and 2018 seasons as the WTA's year-end No. 1.
In Cluj, Halep was competing in just her fifth tournament since returning to the WTA Tour last March from a doping ban, having withdrawn from Australian Open qualifying last month with knee and shoulder issues. The Romanian tested positive for roxadustat, a substance known to increase stamina, at the 2022 US Open; an initial four-year ban was reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled that her violations were not intentional.
"I am at peace. I know I did nothing wrong in tennis," said Halep, who blamed a contaminated supplement for her failed test.
While she was not able to reach her previous heights in her comeback, Halep can look back on a stellar career that included 24 tour-level singles titles and more than $40 million in prize money.
"It's a beautiful thing," Halep said, reflecting on her career. "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 that we will see each other again."
