Simona Halep Admits She Doesn’t Regret Anything in Her Career: “I No Longer Suffer”

Simona Halep hung up her racket after losing her opening-round match against Lucia Bronzetti at the Transylvania Open this year.

Simona Halep Admits She Doesn’t Regret Anything in Her Career: “I No Longer Suffer”

Simona Halep (Image via X/Dibradoras)

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Simona Halep is at peace with herself and doesn’t regret the fact that she retired at the age of 33. Halep, after turning pro in 2006, tasted Grand Slam glory in 2018 by defeating Sloane Stephens at the French Open.

Next year, she doubled her Grand Slam tally, this time, by going past 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams at Wimbledon. Three years later, she found herself on the brink of losing precious time when she tested positive for the banned drug roxadustat.

Because of this, Halep was initially banned for four years by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), but she fought hard against the decision, approached the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), which overturned the ban, reducing it to just nine months. Halep returned to competition in 2024 at the Miami Open, where Spain’s Paula Badosa knocked her out in three sets.

Following the match, she played two Challenger events and the Hong Kong Open, and called time on her career after her Transylvania Open exit. Halep was recently interviewed by The National, during which she said she has regrets about her decision to hang up her racket.

Honestly, I do miss tennis a little. I got goosebumps when I stepped onto Centre Court at the last WTA Finals, remembering everything that was at stake there. Although, well, I admit that everything is better without the stress of matches. I no longer suffer from that stomach ache before matches; it was killing me. Being so emotional affected me a lot on the court, but it was part of me, and I had to accept it.

Simona Halep said

Halep last clinched a title at the 2022 Canadian Open by defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia. It was also the last time she reached a final.

Simona Halep on when she decided to retire

Simona Halep locked horns with Lucia Bronzetti in the opening round of the Transylvania Open, where all she could win were two matches. Although retirement thoughts were not in her mind ahead of the match, her performance convinced her that it’s time for her to call it quits. She soon announced her retirement.

Simona Halep
Simona Halep (via X/The Tennis Letter)

I thought for a long time about when to make the decision, when to play my last match, but I certainly didn’t decide when I stepped onto the court to face Lucia that day. I simply felt like I no longer belonged there. I felt very distant physically; I had injured my knee, and I could see that it still hurt. After losing the first set, I made a decision and said, ‘After this, I’m going to stop.’ Then I went to my parents and told them I wanted to stop. They were fine with it, that’s the story, but the reality is that nobody knew.

Simona Halep said during her interview with The National

Ahead of her Transylvania Open participation, Halep withdrew from the Australian Open, citing a knee injury. Halep, in fact, did not play a single Grand Slam match since her first-round exit at the US Open.

Since her second Grand Slam victory at the 2019 Wimbledon, Halep made the semifinals of Majors twice- at the 2020 Australian Open and 2022 Wimbledon. She also finished the 2017 and the 2018 as No.1, and held the top position for 64 weeks. She also remained a top 10 player for eight years.

The 34-year-old also reached 18 WTA 1000 finals, winning nine and losing the same number of matches. At the WTA Finals, she reached the title clash just once- in 2014, losing that match to Serena Williams.

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