Former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep announced her retirement from professional tennis on Tuesday after exiting in the first round of her home tournament in Cluj.
Halep, whose career was disrupted by a doping ban that was later reduced on appeal, suffered a 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti in her first match of 2025 before revealing her decision to retire.
The 33-year-old Romanian had postponed the start of her season due to knee and shoulder pain. Before securing her first major title at the French Open in 2018, she had finished as a runner-up in three Grand Slam finals. She then claimed her second Grand Slam victory at Wimbledon in 2019.
Halep was provisionally suspended in October 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat, a banned substance that boosts red blood cell production, at the US Open. Initially handed a four-year suspension, her ban was later reduced to nine months following an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.