Simona Halep announces her retirement!

Beaten in two sets by Lucia Bronzetti (6-1, 6-1) in her 1st round match at the WTA 250 in Cluj, Simona Halep announced her retirement from professional tennis after the match.

The Romanian, former world No.1 and winner of the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, thus ends her career in her native country.

She had struggled to remain at the highest level after the doping affair that concerned her in 2022, following a positive test at the US Open.

Initially suspended for four years, the Romanian had her suspension reduced to nine months, enabling her to return to the circuit and try to re-establish herself among the world's top players.

Halep, 33, thus brings to an end a 17-year career during which she won 24 WTA titles and wrote her name in the history of Romanian tennis.