Simona Halep stuns the tennis world by announcing retirement after a straight-set loss at the Winners Open
Simona Halep had already been considering to move away from the tennis world before her last singles match at the Winners Open.
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Simona Halep announced her retirement in Cluj-Napoca on Tuesday after a tough 6-1, 6-1 loss to Lucia Bronzetti at the Winners Open. The defeat marked the end of her career in front of her home crowd.
The former world No. 1 returned to competition in March 2024 after serving a 19-month suspension for a doping violation. The Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her ban, but she struggled to regain form, winning only one match in five tournaments.
Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion, last competed in a WTA 250 event in Hong Kong. She accepted a wild card for both singles and doubles, partnering with Ana Bogdan, but lost in straight sets.
Against Bronzetti, Halep found it difficult to get into the match, winning just 11 points in the first set. She managed only one more game in the second before Bronzetti closed out the win. After the match, Halep stayed on court to address the crowd and say goodbye.
Is Simona Halep let down by the tennis authorities?
Simona Halep has raised concerns about the way tennis doping cases are handled. She questioned the “big difference” in treatment after Iga Swiatek received only a one-month ban.
The ITIA announced that Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) but accepted a short suspension. In contrast, Halep was banned for more than 18 months after testing positive for roxadustat in 2022. Her original four-year ban was later reduced to nine months after an appeal.
Halep has always claimed she was innocent and that the substance came from a contaminated supplement. Swiatek tested positive for TMZ in 2024, but the ITIA ruled that it came from contaminated melatonin, a sleep aid she took for jet lag.
The ITIA defended its decision, stating that Halep’s case and Swiatek’s case had key differences. They emphasized that each doping case is unique and must be judged separately.
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Fahad Hamid
(693 Articles Published)