Two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep retires

Former World No. 1 Simona Halep, who won two Grand Slams before a doping suspension, announced her retirement on Tuesday following a loss at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Halep, 33, fell to Italy's Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-1, in her first match of 2025, then informed the crowd in her native country of her decision.

"I wanted to come here today in Cluj to play in front of you and say goodbye on the court to tennis," she 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 restarted her career after being slapped with a four-year doping ban that led to her suspension in October 2022. The ban was reduced in February 2024 to nine months, and because her time away from the game exceeded that, she was eligible to return to the WTA Tour immediately.

She played a limited schedule in 2024, finishing 1-4 in her matches.

Halep withdrew from qualifying for last month's Australian Open, citing knee and shoulder pain. She didn't compete in the ASB Classic in Auckland, a tune-up for the Australian Open after feeling discomfort from playing in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.

Halep won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019. She reached World No. 1 on Oct. 9, 2017, but currently is ranked No. 870.

The 24-time singles champion reached the final in three other Grand Slams -- the French Open in 2014 and 2017 and the Australian Open in 2018.

--Field Level Media