Simona Halep retires officially at 33 amid an injury-filled comeback from a doping suspension and an aborted return at the Australian Open.
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HALEP RETIRES AFTER EARLIER HINTS DUE TO ‘SERIOUS’ KNEE INJURY
Halep retires after earlier hints she mentioned due to a “serious” knee injury.
Furthermore, the Romanian former world No.1 was coming off a first-round loss at her home country on Tuesday.
Moreover, Halep admits her “body can no longer handle as much as it used to.”
“I don’t know if it’s with sadness or joy – I think I’m feeling both – but my soul is at peace with this decision,” Halep said.
“My body can no longer handle as much as it used to, to get me where I probably once was,” she added.
ROMANIAN MADE ANNOUNCEMENT AFTER FIRST-ROUND LOSS AT TRANSYLVANIA OPEN
The Romanian made the announcement after she absorbed a first-round loss at the Transylvania Open.
Moreover, Halep was coming off a 1-6, 1-6 loss to Lucia Bronzetti in her hometown in Cluj.
Furthermore, she would later address the crowd after the match.
“It’s very hard to reach that level, and I know what it takes to get there,” Halep told her hometown crowd.
“That’s why I wanted to be here today, in Cluj, to play in front of you and say goodbye on the tennis court, even if my performance wasn’t great,” she added.
RETIREMENT TO PUSH WORLD NO.870 TO ‘EXPLORE OTHER THINGS’
Retirement will push the world No.870 to “explore other things.”
This, after a career where she reached No.1 and won two Slams.
Furthermore, Halep will be remembered for reaching No.1 in the World Tennis Association (WTA) rankings for the first time in 2017.
Moreover, she won the 2018 French Open and the 2019 Wimbledon.
She was also a runnerup at the 2018 Australian Open and twice at Roland Garros (2014 and 2017).
“I worked hard for it, and I feel fulfilled as a tennis player. Now, I want to do something else, not just tennis,” the Romanian said.
“The first part of my life was all about tennis; now, I want to explore other things,” she added.
