Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, and other tennis personalities extended their warm wishes to Simona Halep, upon her retirement. The Romanian shockingly announced that she would be hanging up her racket after her first-round loss at Transylvania Open.
On Tuesday, February 4, Halep took on Lucia Bronzetti at the WTA 250 event in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Days before, the 33-year-old had opened up about plans to retire amid persistent injury woes. However, not many expected it to be so soon.
After a 1-6, 1-6 defeat against Bronzetti, Halep addressed the home crowd. She stated that while she intended to continue playing tennis, she would not be playing at a competitive level.
Tributes flooded in for the two-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Romanian. Paula Badosa, who practiced with Halep before the 2025 season, took to her Instagram to share a picture of herself greeting the Romanian after one of their matches. She captioned the image:
“Simona wish you all the best in your new chapter! You were a big inspiration for me. Your tennis and fight would be missed. Happy life champion”
Ons Jabeur took to X to give her wishes to Halep, writing:
“Congrats Simona Halep for an amazing career❤️ It was an honor sharing the court with you. Wishing you all the best for the future 🙏🏼❤️”
World No. 120, Ana Bogdan, one of the top current Romanian players, credited Halep for creating a pathway for her compatriots in tennis.
World No. 64, Sorana Cirstea, also had some heartwarming words for her compatriot. In the post, Cristea and Halep shared a hug and cried after the latter’s announcement. She added a long message for the now-retired tennis star.
American tennis legend, Billie Jean King, also shared an image with Halep and extended warm wishes. She took to X and wrote:
“2x Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Simona Halep is retiring from tennis. Simona is an incredible athlete, and has won more WTA titles (24) than any woman Romanian tennis player in history. Best of luck in the next steps of your journey, Simona.”
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