“It’s a bit hard for me to speak,” said Simona Halep into the microphone on the purple court at the Transylvania Open, standing before packed stands—full of people, full of emotion and, in a way, full of fear that they were about to hear an announcement they weren’t ready for.
“This is my home, here in Romania. This is where I feel my best, where I have always felt surrounded by so much love. I’ve won many matches here, I’ve lost some as well, but in the end, the beautiful memories remain. Your energy has always filled my heart. No matter where I played, I felt the best here. And you could see it today—I could barely breathe on the court. It’s a special kind of emotion.
I have so many friends here today who came to see me—my team, and people from the tennis world who have supported me and helped me reach where I am. As an athlete, I feel truly fulfilled. I never even dreamed, as a child, that I would achieve all this. But I worked incredibly hard for it. My family is here as well, the ones who have always supported me. My parents have been by my side from the very first moment, and without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I want to thank them and tell them how much I love them because they’ve always been with me, no matter what decisions I made.”
“I feel both sadness and joy—both emotions are running through me right now,” Simona continued. “But I take this decision with peace of mind. My body can no longer endure what it takes to reach the level I once was at. It’s too difficult to get back there and I know what kind of effort that requires. That’s why I came here to Cluj, to play in front of you and to say goodbye. Even though today’s performance wasn’t my best, I am so happy you came.
I don’t want to cry. I reached World No. 1, I won Grand Slam titles, I achieved everything I ever wanted. Life goes on after tennis and I hope we will see each other as often as possible. I will still play tennis, but to be competitive at the highest level takes so much more and at this moment, it’s no longer possible for me.
To all the kids out there, I want to wish you ambition and the desire to reach the top, because it is truly wonderful up there. I played for many years—it was exhausting, and draining, but also beautiful. The adrenaline of those moments cannot be found anywhere else. So, dear children, fight, work hard, because in the end, it’s all worth it.”
