Simona Halep announces retirement after 2 Grand Slam titles and return from ban

Howard Fendrich · The Associated Press

· Posted: Feb 04, 2025 5:00 PM EST | Last Updated: February 4

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep announced her status from tennis astatine property 33 aft a first-round nonaccomplishment astatine a tourney successful her location state of Romania connected Tuesday, ending an injury-filled comeback from a doping suspension.

"I don't cognize if it's with sadness oregon joyousness — I deliberation I'm feeling some — but my psyche is astatine bid with this decision, and I've ever been realistic with myself. My assemblage tin nary longer grip arsenic overmuch arsenic it utilized to, to get maine wherever I astir apt erstwhile was," Halep said, utilizing a microphone to code the assemblage successful Cluj, Romania, pursuing her 6-1, 6-1 nonaccomplishment to Lucia Bronzetti successful the Transylvania Open.

"It's precise hard to scope that level, and I cognize what it takes to get there," Halep said. "That's wherefore I wanted to beryllium present today, successful Cluj, to play successful beforehand of you and accidental goodbye connected the tennis court, adjacent if my show wasn't great."

It was the archetypal lucifer of the twelvemonth for Halep, who reached No. 1 successful the WTA rankings for the archetypal clip successful 2017 but is present 870th and was fixed a wild-card invitation to play successful Romania.

She had pulled retired of qualifying for the Australian Open and a tuneup successful Auckland, New Zealand, past period due to the fact that of symptom successful her genu and shoulder, the latest interruption of her career.

Halep erstwhile stood atop women's tennis, winning large singles trophies astatine Wimbledon successful 2019 by beating Serena Williams successful the last and astatine the French Open successful 2018 by beating Sloane Stephens successful the final.

She besides was a three-time runner-up astatine Grand Slam tournaments — astatine the Australian Open successful 2018 and the French Open successful 2014 and 2017.

But her past quality astatine a large lawsuit came astatine the 2022 U.S. Open. That was wherever Halep mislaid successful the archetypal circular to Daria Snigur of Ukraine 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 and tested affirmative for the banned cause Roxadustat.

Ban reduced to 9 months

Roxadustat was approved for usage successful the European Union successful 2021 to dainty the symptoms of anemia caused by chronic kidney failure. It stimulates the assemblage to nutrient much of the earthy hormone erythropoietin, oregon EPO, which has agelong been a doping merchandise favoured by cyclists and region runners to boost stamina.

Halep initially was fixed a four-year prohibition that would person expired successful 2026. But she appealed, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced the punishment to 9 months successful March 2024.

She argued she was exposed to a contaminated supplement that caused her failed test. CAS determined that Halep bore "some level of responsibility oregon negligence" for not exercising "sufficient care" portion utilizing the supplement, but "she bore nary important responsibility oregon negligence." So that is why, CAS said, "her anti-doping regularisation violations were not intentional."

Halep made her instrumentality to the circuit aboriginal that period astatine the Miami Open but has played lone six matches since.

She leaves the athletics with 24 singles titles and much than $40 cardinal US successful prize money.

"To beryllium competitory again requires overmuch more, and astatine this moment, it's nary longer possible," Halep said Tuesday. "I don't privation to cry; this is thing beautiful. I reached satellite No. 1, I won Grand Slams; it's everything I ever wanted."