Former world No.1 calls time after Romanian rout
Former world No.1 Simona Halep has announced her retirement after suffering a resounding defeat in her first match of 2025.
Halep belatedly got her season under way in her home event, the Transylvania Open, in Romania on Tuesday, after being handed a wildcard.
But the two-time grand slam champion won just two games as Italy's Lucia Bronzetti powered to a 6-1 6-1 victory in just 59 minutes.
Locked in 🫡Bronzetti defeats Halep in consecutive sets to secure her spot in the next round in Cluj! #TO2025 pic.twitter.com/kZYQ0DmQdw
— wta (@WTA) February 4, 2025
Speaking in an emotional on-court interview, Halep said: "Tonight, I don't know if it's with joy or sadness, I think both feelings are trying me but I'm making this decision with my soul.
"I've always been realistic with myself and with my body.
"Where I probably was, it's very hard to get there and I know what it means to get there. That's why I wanted to come here today in Cluj to play in front of you and say goodbye.
"Even though my performance wasn't very good it was still my soul and I'm very glad you came, and I'll wonder if I'll come back again. But for now it's the last time I've played here and I don't want to cry.
"It's a beautiful thing. I became world number one, I won grand slams, it's all I wanted. Life goes on, there is life after tennis and I hope that we will see each other again.
"I'll come to the tennis here as often as I can and of course I will continue to play - but to be competitive it requires much more and at this moment it is no longer."
Halep, who was given a four-year doping ban that was reduced to nine months due to a contaminated supplement, last competed on the WTA Tour in October in Hong Kong.
The 33-year-old also played in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi in December, but subsequently pulled out of qualifying for the Australian Open, citing pain in her knee and shoulder.
Earlier this week Halep admitted that retiring "goes through my mind very often."
She told Romanian site Golazo.ro: "I am old, I have injuries that I can't recover from. My knee is not recovering."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
27 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Katie Boulter reveals threats as report into online abuse highlights the dark side of tennis betting
Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British tennis player Katie Boulter says she received death threats during the French Open targeting her and her family, as the WTA and ITF on Tuesday called on betting companies to do more to stem the flood of online abuse players face on social media. Boulter told the BBC in an interview that online abuse has become the norm and that she thinks many of the messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches. Her comments coincided with the WTA and ITF publishing a first season-wide report into online abuse, showing that 458 tennis players were targeted by more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media in 2024. The report said 40% of the abuse came from 'angry gamblers.' The 39th-ranked Boulter said the messages threatening her loved ones was sent during her French Open first-round match against Carole Monnet on May 29. After losing the first-set tie-breaker, Boulter won the match 6-7 (4), 6-1. 6-1. But the loss of the tiebreaker prompted the outrage. 'Hope you get cancer,' said one message. Another mentioned damaging her 'grandmother's grave if she's not dead by tomorrow' and 'candles and a coffin for your entire family.' A third said: 'Go to hell, I lost money my mother sent me.' Boulter, who showed the BBC screenshots of the messages, said she is worried about the toll the widespread abuse takes on younger players. 'As a tennis player, I just want to see and protect some of the younger players that come through and try to find a way around this whole situation," Boulter said. 'It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone. ... I think it increases in number and it also increases in the level of things that people say. I don't think there's anything off the cards now.' Many other players have previously reported online abuse. In a bid to try to protect athletes, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Women's Tennis Association (WTA), All England Lawn Tennis Club and United States Tennis Association in 2023 launched the Threat Matrix. The program monitors public-facing social accounts for abusive and threatening content on social networks. It also provides support for players. The report on the findings from the Threat Matrix service published Tuesday said five players received 26% of the total abuse identified, while 97 accounts were responsible for 23% of all detected abuse. More than 4,200 accounts in total sent comments to players that were abusive, violent or threatening. 'Action has been taken against the most serious and prolific of these, including 15 accounts escalated to law enforcement,' the WTA and ITF said. Third-ranked Jessica Pegula, a member of the WTA Players' Council, also said tennis authorities need help to tackle the issue. 'Online abuse is unacceptable, and something that no player should have to endure,' Pegula was quoted as saying in a statement. "It's time for the gambling industry and social media companies to tackle the problem at its source and act to protect everyone facing these threats.' ___ AP tennis: and in this topic
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US Open mixed doubles will feature blockbuster teams after USTA overhaul
When the U.S. Tennis Association made a bold announcement earlier this year that it would overhaul mixed doubles at the US Open, there was one objective: Attract star singles players to an event that had lost relevance with fans. Mission accomplished. Advertisement The early entry list for the tournament, released June 17, includes nine of the world's top-10 players in both the women's and men's rankings, forming some blockbuster teams that will undoubtedly draw big crowds to a competition that often gets lost in the shuffle during Grand Slams. Among them: Recent French Open winner Carlos Alcaraz paired with 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner and Emma Navarro Last year's finalist Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina Australian Open winner Madison Keys with Frances Tiafoe Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud Ben Shelton and two-time Grand Slam doubles winner Taylor Townsend Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul Defending US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov A Serbian team of Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic An Italian team of Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti A Russian team of Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva The Tokyo Olympic champions Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic A boyfriend/girlfriend team of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa Qinwen Zheng and Jack Draper Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios The most notable name missing from the entry list is recent French Open champion and American sensation Coco Gauff, though players will have until July 28 to enter. When entries close, the top eight teams based on combined singles ranking will get automatic entry into the field, with eight more chosen by wildcard. The tournament will take place during the so-called 'Fan Week' on Aug. 19-20, which is the week before the main singles draw begins. It will be played in a short-set format: First to four (winning by two) wins the set, no-ad scoring, tiebreakers at 4-4 and a first-to-10-point tiebreak deciding the match instead of a third set. Advertisement All in all, the combination of a quick format, playing mixed doubles during a week when singles players are already on-site practicing for the US Open and a $1 million prize to the winning team has undoubtedly delivered what the USTA hoped for. "In our initial discussions about reimagining and elevating the US Open mixed doubles championship, we wanted to find a way to showcase the world's best men and women competing with and against one another, and we were confident we would be able to get the top players in the game excited about this unique opportunity," outgoing USTA executive director Lew Sherr said. "Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited. It shows the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it." Understandably, the change drew criticism from doubles specialists, most of whom will be frozen out of the event. From the USTA's point of view, however, this is about growing interest in the sport, and there's ample evidence from national federation-based events like the United Cup and the Olympics that mixed doubles with star singles players can be a big hit. There was also huge demand at Wimbledon in 2019 to see Serena Williams playing with Andy Murray, so much so that two of their matches got the coveted Center Court treatment. Advertisement Because the ATP and WTA Tours overlap at the same venue a mere handful of times per year, mixed doubles is a discipline that only exists on a regular basis at the Grand Slams. And in general, it has been treated as filler programming for the outside courts because fans have shown lukewarm interest in watching it. Now, all the matches will be played on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadium courts and broadcast on ESPN's family of networks. Though the short format suggests that the US Open might look like more of an exhibition type of event than a Grand Slam, it will undoubtedly be a focal point of the first week of the tournament given the intriguing combinations of players who have already signed up. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Open mixed doubles to feature blockbuster teams
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Aryna Sabalenka pens apology to Coco Gauff after French Open slight
June 17 (UPI) -- Top-ranked tennis star Aryna Sabalenka said she regrets slighting Coco Gauff after losing to her in the 2025 French Open final and wrote an apology letter to the American to address the issue. Sabalenka spoke about the matter during an interview published Tuesday by Eurosport. The Belarusian led Gauff early on, but emotionally unraveled in the June 7 loss in Paris. She went on to complain about the wind and playing conditions. Sabalenka -- who totaled 70 unforced errors -- told reporters that she didn't think Gauff won the match "because she played incredible," but because she made "all those mistakes." She also said she thought that Iga Swiatek, who she beat in the semifinals, would have beaten Gauff. "It was completely unprofessional of me," Sabalenka told Eurosport. "I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said at the time. You know, we all make mistakes. I'm just a human being who is still learning in life. "I think we all have those days when we lose control. But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterward -- not immediately, but recently." Gauff, who captured her second Grand Slam singles crown, told reporters that she didn't agree that Swiatek would have beaten her in the final. She later told other outlets that she was surprised by the comments, but would give the Belarusian "the benefit of the doubt." Sabalenka and Gauff top the WTA rankings. They will both play Round of 16 matchups at the German Open on Wednesday in Berlin. The grass-court tournament serves as a warmup for Wimbledon. "I was a little bit surprised by the comments," Gauff said on an ESPN broadcast. "But at the end of the day, what happened, happened. I won because I earned that win. We both had to play in the wind. "We both had to play in those conditions. ... The difference was I was able to recognize that and find a different way to try to win that match." Coco Gauff wins French Open
