Former world number one Simona Halep has announced her retirement from tennis after her first-round defeat to Lucia Bronzetti at the Transylvania Open on Tuesday.
The two-time Grand Slam champion shared an emotional statement, saying, “I’m making this decision with my soul. I’ll come to tennis here as often as I can and of course I will continue to play – but to be competitive it requires much more and at this moment it is no longer.”
Halep reflected on her illustrious career, stating, “It’s a beautiful thing. I became world number one, 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.” At 33, Halep acknowledged the challenges posed by a knee injury, which had made it difficult for her to continue competing. She won the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon women’s singles titles during her career.
