Simona Halep retires at age 33

Simona Halep (Robbie Saurus, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press on Tuesday, two-time grand slam champion and former world number one Simona Halep of Constanta, Romania retired on Tuesday from professional women’s tennis at the age of 33.

Halep played her final WTA match on Tuesday, and lost 6-1, 6-1 to Lucia Bronzetti of Italy. Halep decided her final professional tournament would be in her home country of Romania as she participated in the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca.

Halep’s grand slam titles came at the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019. She was first in the world from October 9, 2017 to January 28, 2018 and again from February 26, 2018 to January 27, 2019. In all, Halep was ranked number one for 64 weeks.

Both of Halep’s grand slam titles came against Americans in the finals. In 2018, she beat Sloane Stephens, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Then in 2019, Halep beat Serena Williams, 6-2, 6-2.

Since 2022, Halep has been in the tennis headlines. At the end of the 2022 season, she withdrew from the Cincinnati Open because of a thigh injury, and did not play any more tennis after the United States Open in 2022 because of nose surgery. Then in October of 2022, it was announced that Halep tested positive for roxadusat during the United States Open. Initially, Halep was suspended for four years, but then had her suspension dropped to nine months.

Halep returned to competitive tennis in the spring of 2024. However, she was unable to win first round matches in Miami and Paris (not the French Open, a 125 event). Then in the fall, Halep did beat Arina Rodionova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Hong Kong Open. This would be Halep’s final WTA victory as she dealt with injuries to her knee and shoulder earlier this year. In all, Halep won 24 WTA events.