Simona Halep has introduced her retirement after struggling a powerful defeat in her first match of 2025.
The previous world No 1 belatedly bought her season underneath means in her house occasion, the Transylvania Open, in Romania on Tuesday, after being handed a wild card.
However the two-time Grand Slam champion gained simply two video games as Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti powered to a 6-1 6-1 victory in simply 59 minutes.
Talking in an on-court interview, Halep mentioned: “Tonight, I do not know if it is with pleasure or unhappiness, I believe each emotions try me however I am making this determination with my soul.
“I’ve all the time been reasonable with myself and with my physique.
“The place I most likely was, it’s extremely laborious to get there and I do know what it means to get there. That is why I needed to return right here at this time in Cluj to play in entrance of you and say goodbye.
“Although my efficiency wasn’t excellent it was nonetheless my soul and I am very glad you got here, and I am going to marvel if I am going to come again once more. However for now it is the final time I’ve performed right here and I do not wish to cry.
“It is an attractive factor. I grew to become world No 1, I gained Grand Slams, it is all I needed. Life goes on, there may be life after tennis and I hope that we’ll see one another once more.
“I am going to come to the tennis right here as usually as I can and naturally I’ll proceed to play – however to be aggressive it requires far more and at this second it’s now not.”
Halep, who was given a four-year doping ban that was decreased to 9 months because of a contaminated complement, final competed on the WTA Tour in October in Hong Kong.
The 33-year-old additionally performed in an exhibition occasion in Abu Dhabi in December, however subsequently pulled out of qualifying for the Australian Open, citing ache in her knee and shoulder.
