Simona Halep: End of an era

After two Grand Slams, former world number one, Simona Halep has announced her retirement from professional tennis.

Two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Simona Halep has retired from tennis.

The Romanian announced her decision on court at the Transylvania Open following her 6-1 6-1 first-round loss to Lucia Bronzetti.

The 33-year-old recently said she was considering retirement, externally because of a knee injury that forced her to withdraw from Australian Open qualifying last month.

This week's event was just her fifth tournament since returning to the WTA Tour following a doping ban, in a case that went on for almost two years.

Making an emotional statement, external to the crowd, Halep said: "I'm making this decision with my soul.

Halep memorably won her first major title at the French Open in 2018, defeating Sloane Stephens, having lost her previous three Grand Slam finals.

She then won at Wimbledon in 2019, committing just three unforced errors in a stunning final victory over Serena Williams.

She won 22 other WTA Tour titles and spent 64 weeks as world number one.