The two -time Grand Slam champion, Simona Halep, announced her tennis retirement, less than a year after embarking on a return after her Dopante suspension expired.
Halep was hit 6-1, 6-1 by Lucia Bronzetti of Italy at Transylvania Open in Cluj on Tuesday, the local Romania event on the WTA Tour.
Before the game, Halep had spoken that he potentially ended his career in the middle of an ongoing battle with a knee injury.
Halep has restricted to only six individual games since he returned to the tour last March, winning only one.
The 33 -year -old issued a statement in the Court to the Crowd Party and then confirmed her retirement at a press conference.
“I feel sadness and joy: both feelings are trying me right now,” said Halep in court.
Simona Halep, 33, has announced her retirement less than a year after returning from a ban
Halep won Grand Slam titles twice and beat Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final 2019
The Romanian star had claimed the title of the France Open in 2018, after being a runner -up
'But I make this decision with a peaceful soul. My body can no longer take so much to get where I was, it is very difficult for me to get there and I know what effort that implies. That is exactly the reason I came here to Cluj to play in front of you and obtain comments from yours.
'Although my performance was not the best, I am very happy that you have come. I don't want to cry, I became the number 1 in the world, I won Grand Slams, all I wanted. Life continues after tennis and I hope to see you as often as possible.
“I will still come to tennis, but being competitive means much more and, at this time, it is no longer possible.”
The former Wimbledon champion and the France Open was authorized to return last March after the Arbitration Court for Sports reduced its doping prohibition from four years to nine months.
Halep, 33, had positive for the medication that Roxadustat blood increases in the US Open in 2022.
An independent court imposed a four -year prohibition that had not accepted the explanation of Halep that a contaminated supplement was the source of Roxadustat in its system, while a position of irregularities in the biological passport of its athlete was also maintained.
The sanction was reduced after an appeal to CAS.
Halep confirmed his retirement after his first 2025 singles game, since he was already forced to retire from the Australian Open and heating events for the first great Slam of the year due to injuries.
Halep admitted that he had been fighting with injuries, which led to his decision to retire
She confirmed her retirement at Transylvania Open, her home tournament on the WTA tour
Halep had been beaten 6-1, 6-1 by Lucia Bronzetti from Italy, on the left, in the first round on Tuesday
“This is my home, in Romania, this is where I feel better, I have always felt surrounded by a lot of love,” Halep added.
'There have been many games that I have won here, there have also been games that I have lost, but the good and beautiful memories always remain, and your energy has filled my soul.
'It doesn't matter where I played, this is where I have felt better. I felt that I was barely breathing in the field today. It is a special emotion.
'I have many friends who came to see me today. My team, the people in the tennis that supported me, helped me to get where I am. From the sports point of view, I am a very satisfactory person, I never dreamed when I was a child who would achieve what I have achieved. I worked very hard for this.
'My family is also here, which always helped me. My parents have been by my side from the first moment, without them I could not have been who I am today. I thank you and I love you very much, because they have been by my side in every decision I have made.
'I want to wish the children a lot of ambition, a lot of desire to reach the top, because it is wonderful there. I played for many years, it is exhausting, it is exhausting, but it is beautiful and the adrenaline of those moments is not any other place. So, dear children, fight, work, because everything is worth it, in the end.
The Transylvania Open shared a message that indicates 'thanks for everything, Simona' after Halep's announcement.
Halep, who became the number one in the world in 2017, had been given a wild card in the tournament after being the 870th position in the world.
Halep returned to sport last March after the CAS reduced its four -year doping ban on nine months
The former world number one won more than $ 40 million in their professional earnings, the third more than one player behind Serena and Venus Williams
She claimed her first Grand Slam title the following year, surpassing Sloane Stephens of France in three sets to win the France Open.
Halep was crowned Wimbledon champion the following year after a direct victory over Serena Williams.
She was a finalist defeated in three Grand Slam finals, losing in the masterpiece of the France Open in 2014 and 2017, as well as in the Australian Open in 2018.
Halep has reported $ 40 million (£ 32 million) in professional profits after having won 24 titles, placing their third of all time on the list of women behind Serena and Venus Williams.