Simona Halep, former No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, retires from tennis
The Romanian’s career was marred by a doping suspension, which she successfully appealed.
Simona Halep’s tennis career has ended. Fittingly, it came in her native Romania, with the 33-year-old losing in the opening round of the Transylvania Open to 72nd-ranked Lucia Bronzetti, 6-1, 6-1.
“Even though my performance wasn’t very good,” Halep told the crowd in Romanian, “it was still my soul and I’m very glad that you came. I wonder if I’ll come back again but for now, it’s the last time I’ve played here.”
Halep’s cornerstone achievements were a pair of Grand Slam singles titles, at Roland Garros in 2018 and at Wimbledon a year later. She also twice finished the season at No. 1, in 2017 and 2018. In addition to those two majors, Halep won 22 WTA singles titles.
On a more qualitative basis, Halep’s journey demonstrated a nuanced principle once uttered by Billie Jean King: persistence is a talent. She lost the first three Grand Slam finals she played—2014 Roland Garros to Maria Sharapova, 2017 Roland Garros to Jelena Ostapenko, 2018 Australian Open to Caroline Wozniacki. Each went three sets. Every time, Halep fought valiantly, but was unable to bring her best when it mattered most.
None of those defeats was more frustrating than Halep’s loss to Ostapenko. Heavily favored versus the 47th-ranked Latvian, Halep won the first set 6-4 and led 3-0 in the second. Even after Ostapenko had levelled the match, Halep took a 3-1 lead in the decider. But it was not to be.
I was in the media room in Paris that day, and it was impossible not to empathize with Halep. The prior loss to Sharapova had been a great effort versus an experienced veteran. But this second defeat had a whole other flavor.
“This one hurts a lot maybe because I am more—I realize more what is happening,” she said. “Three years ago was something new, so now I know. Hurts a lot, and I need time just to—I don't know. To go away.”
Nearly a year to the day later, Halep was in the Roland Garros final again. The opponent was reigning US Open champion Sloane Stephens. Just like Ostapenko, Stephens swung freely. On this occasion, Stephens was the one who took the lead, going up a set and 2-0. But this fourth major final proved to be Halep’s breakthrough.
She rallied and went on to win, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. The atmosphere in the media room was completely different than it had been 12 months earlier.
It’s a special moment. I was dreaming for this moment since actually I started to play tennis. Simona Halep, after winning her first Grand Slam title
While that win ended years of frustration, what happened in 2019 was a sparkling validation. At Wimbledon, Halep played great tennis to reach the final. The task there was mighty: competing on Centre Court versus seven-time champion Serena Williams.
Halep’s big wins conclusively revealed her status as a champion. But for all her triumphs, what made Halep endearing to the public were the struggles she went through to attain success.
Often in matches, it appeared that Halep was concurrently playing two opponents—the one across the net and the one inside her head. One notable moment came in 2017 at the Miami Open. On a changeover, Halep’s coach, Darren Cahill, made a strong effort to redirect her negative emotions. “You can give up on yourself, but I’m not,” he said.
Alas, on that day, Halep was unable to find positive energy. Later, Halep realized how much she undermined herself and vowed she would change. This emotional tumult and openness made Halep exceptionally human, prone to the same foibles and vulnerabilities that can vex anyone.
But once Halep was able to find tranquility—or even if she couldn’t—her playing style was impressive. Let others draw from inspiration; Halep revealed the power of perspiration, a game built on aggressive footwork and groundstrokes repeatedly struck hard and deep.
Halep’s late-career doping charge was complicated. It began in October 2022, when she was provisionally suspended after testing positive for Roxadustat at the US Open. A separate doping charge was announced in May 2023 due to discrepancies in Halep’s biological passport. In November of that year, Halep’s new coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, posted on Instagram that it was his fault she’d taken a tainted substance. He and Halep had begun to work together in April 2022, and four months later came her positive test—and, initially, a four-year suspension likely to trigger the end of Halep’s career.
Though by the end of 2023 Halep and Mouratoglou had parted ways, she bore him no ill will.
“I’m sure it wasn’t done intentionally and I’m grateful he admits the mistake was his and his team’s,” Halep said in an interview with Paris Match. “They are the ones who gave me this food supplement. And for this error—their error—I am the only one to pay the high price. Twenty-five years of career destroyed.”
But in early March 2024, Halep made a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a victory that reduced her doping ban to nine months. She returned to the tour later that month at the Miami Open, losing in the first round to Paula Badosa. From there, Halep’s WTA Tour match record was 1-4.
While the final years of Halep’s career were punctuated by extensive courtroom time, her greater legacy will be one of sustained effort, intensity, and excellence.