Simona Halep retires after first-round defeat at WTA Cluj-Napoca in Romania.
Two-time Grand Slam champion struggled to regain form after a doping ban.
Ends career with 24 WTA titles and 64 weeks as world number one.
Former World No. 1 Simona Halep announced her retirement from tennis on Tuesday following her first-round exit at the WTA Cluj-Napoca tournament in Romania.
The 33-year-old, who was playing in her homeland, suffered a heavy 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, ranked 72nd in the world.
“I don’t know whether to feel joy or sadness as I speak to you, but this decision comes from my heart and conscience. My body can no longer keep up, but I wanted to step on court today to say my goodbyes,” Halep told the Romanian crowd.
A two-time Grand Slam champion, Halep had been working to revive her career following a doping ban. She withdrew from Australian Open qualifying last month due to knee and shoulder pain, further hampering her comeback efforts.
Her career took an unexpected pause in October 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat at the US Open. The former French Open and Wimbledon champion was later investigated for “irregularities” in her biological passport, leading to a four-year suspension from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
Halep appealed the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), arguing that her positive test resulted from a contaminated supplement.
The ban was ultimately reduced to nine months, but she struggled to regain the form that had made her the world’s top-ranked player in 2017.
Over a 19-year professional career, Halep secured 24 WTA titles, including her Grand Slam triumphs at Roland Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019. She held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 64 weeks, cementing her legacy as one of the sport’s greats.