Simona Halep has said she has no regrets about retiring from professional tennis despite admitting she misses the sport. The Romanian ended her career in February 2025 after her health was no longer stable and she was unable to find consistency on the tour. She clearly lost her last match 1:6, 1:6 against Lucia Bronzetti at the Transylvania Open, a few weeks after she withdrew from the Australian Open due to injury.
“I thought about it for a while, but it wasn’t decided when I went on court that I would retire after this match,” Halep told The National. “I felt that my place was no longer there. I had knee problems and pain. After the first set I decided to quit.” After the match, she spoke to her parents: “I told them I wanted to quit. They said, ‘Okay, announce it.’ That was the story. Nobody knew.”
Looking back on great successes and difficult phases
Halep won two Grand Slam titles in her career: the French Open 2018 and Wimbledon 2019. She was also number one in the world for 64 weeks and was in the top ten for eight consecutive years – one of the longest streaks in WTA history. She also enjoyed great success at tournaments such as Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.
However, in 2022, Halep tested positive for roxadustat and her biological passport showed irregularities. The originally imposed four-year ban was reduced to nine months after a partial success before the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. The court followed the argument that the substance probably entered her body via a contaminated dietary supplement.
“Tennis hasn’t done anything bad for me. It’s only brought me good things,” Halep said. “I miss it a little, but it’s nice without the stress of the matches.” She concluded about her career: “I have no regrets. I accept all the mistakes. I am proud of how I have overcome failures and successes.”
