Former Wimbledon champion Halep announces retirement

Two-time Grand Slam champion and erstwhile satellite fig 1 Simona Halep has retired from tennis.

The Romanian announced her determination connected tribunal astatine the Transylvania Open pursuing her 6-1 6-1 first-round nonaccomplishment to Lucia Bronzetti.

The 33-year-old precocious said she was considering retirement, external due to the fact that of a genu wounded that forced her to retreat from Australian Open qualifying past month.

This week's lawsuit was conscionable her 5th tourney since returning to the WTA Tour pursuing a doping ban, successful a lawsuit which went connected for astir 2 years.

Making an affectional statement, external to the crowd, Halep said: "I'm making this determination with my soul.

"It's a beauteous thing. I became satellite fig one, I won Grand Slams, it's each I wanted. Life goes on, determination is beingness aft tennis and I anticipation that we volition spot each different again.

"I'll travel to the tennis present arsenic often arsenic I tin and of people I volition proceed to play - but to beryllium competitory it requires overmuch much and astatine this infinitesimal it is nary longer."

Halep memorably won her first large rubric astatine the French Open successful 2018, defeating Sloane Stephens, having mislaid her erstwhile 3 Grand Slam finals.

She past won astatine Wimbledon successful 2019, committing conscionable 3 unforced errors successful a stunning last triumph implicit Serena Williams.

She won 22 different WTA Tour titles and spent 64 weeks arsenic satellite fig one.

Halep was fixed a four-year prohibition for 2 abstracted doping offences aft initially investigating affirmative for a banned substance successful August 2022.

She ever maintained her innocence and appealed against the prohibition astatine the Court of Arbitration for Sport successful 2024.

The sheet ruled Halep, "on the equilibrium of probabilities", had not taken roxadustat intentionally and her ban was reduced to 9 months.

She subsequently returned to the WTA Tour successful March 2024 but played conscionable six matches done to 2025 and won lone once.

"I've ever been realistic with myself and with my body," Halep said.

"Where I astir apt was, it's precise hard to get determination and I cognize what it means to get there."