‘The thought crosses my mind often…’ – Former world No1 and two-time Grand Slam champion considering shock RETIREMENT
FORMER Wimbledon champion Simona Halep revealed “the thought of retiring crosses my mind very often” as she seriously considers hanging up her racquet.
Halep, 33, beat Serena Williams to reign supreme on the grass of the All England Club in 2019 – the year after winning her maiden Grand Slam at the French Open.
The ex-world No1 racked up 24 career titles and more than £32million in career prize money.
But her career has spiralled downwards rapidly in recent years due to injuries and a drugs ban.
The Romanian appeared to be handed a lifeline going into the 2025 season with a wildcard into the Australian Open.
But she had to withdraw before the tournament started due to knee and shoulder problems.
And it is the former that is giving her thoughts about packing in her pro tennis career for good.
Halep, now way down at No868 in the world rankings, told Golazo: “The knee injury I have is quite serious and difficult to recover from.
“I don’t know if I’m afraid to push myself, but when I feel pain, it’s hard to play at my highest level.
“It’s very difficult to get back to where I was, especially after such a long break.
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“The thought of retiring crosses my mind very often. I’ve reached an age where I have injuries that are hard to recover from.
“My knee won’t heal completely – I was advised to undergo surgery, but it’s a complicated procedure, and I don’t think I will go through with it.”
Halep made her name in 2014 with runs to the last eight of three Grand Slams – including the final at Roland Garros – and was a popular player among stars and fans alike.
After her crowning moments in Paris and Wimbledon, though, she returned a positive test for the banned substance roxadustat at the 2022 US Open before it emerged that there were abnormalities in her biological passport.
The doping news stunned the world of tennis and impacted her reputation for many while Williams took a cheeky dig.
She was initially suspended then slapped with a shock four-year ban – until October 2026 – but this was reduced on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to nine months in March 2024, freeing Halep to make her tennis comeback.
The Bucharest ace has played just five matches since her return, winning her only one in the first round of the WTA 125 Hong Kong Open in October.
Tennis stars’ new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best…
- I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
- I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
- I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I’m former world No1 but quit aged 29 – instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist
Now she is figuring out what the future holds – while reflecting positively on her superb tennis career.
Halep added: “We’ll see what happens next. Life moves forward, and I’ll take things as they come.
“Tennis is not everything in life. I have many desires and goals beyond the sport.
“Everything I have done has been extraordinary… I may not have even dreamed of becoming world No1 and winning two Grand Slam titles.
“I worked hard for it, and I feel fulfilled as a tennis player.
“Now, I want to do something else, not just tennis. The first part of my life was all about tennis, now I want to explore other things.”