Kim Clijsters praises Simona Halep’s resilience despite a difficult end to her career: “I hope she can look back on the positives”
WTA
Kim Clijsters expressed her sadness over former world No. 1 Simona Halep’s recent retirement during her latest appearance on Served with Roddick. The four-time Grand Slam champion praised Halep’s remarkable career, which came to an abrupt end at the recent Transylvania Open.
The Romanian was suspended back in 2022 after testing positive in an anti-doping test. Initially facing a four-year ban, her innocence was later proven, allowing her to return to the Tour in March 2024. Unfortunately for Halep, she was never able to regain her form.
The two-time Grand Slam champion competed in two Challenger tournaments and three WTA events upon her return, posting a 1-5 record. Persistent injuries kept her from playing consistently, preventing her from reaching the competitive level she once had.
In a recent episode of Served with Andy Roddick, former Belgian star Kim Clijsters shared her thoughts on Halep’s career ending in such an unexpected manner.
“I feel sad for her in a way. The last few years haven't exactly been kind to her. She hasn't been able to make a lasting comeback and stay fit after such a long absence from the circuit. I feel bad for her. She's had a fantastic career.”
“To watch her evolve after losing her first three Grand Slam finals, and perhaps to see her lose a little confidence in her ability to win those tournaments, to finally manage to triumph at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, was something incredible,” Clijsters added.
“She's a hard-working, humble girl. Right now, she's probably frustrated by what's happened recently, but I hope that in a few months' time, she'll be able to look back on the good results she's had in her career.
“She's achieved great things, she's been coached by Darren Cahill, and she's always been very well looked after. She needs to refocus on the positive things that have happened to her,” she added. “She was one of the fiercest competitors on the WTA circuit. It's sad that she's decided to stop in a different way than she probably would have liked.”
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- This is just getting beyond ridiculous!! Not to mention unsportsmanlike and unfair to serious up & coming contenders.mandoist06-02-2025
- No, writer, we were not "stunned". If you knew your business you would have been aware of her statement last weekend re: her knee and retirement. The main take-away here is that Simona went out on her own terms. She surely wanted to play again after WTA & ITIA screwed her out of her final productive seasons. Personally, I believed she was going to make this announcement when I saw the President and his family in their box seats. Good for Simone -- now she can move on to other things as she said she would.mandoist04-02-2025
- It sounds seriously absurd that in Davis Cup, (unlike Grand Slams such as the Aus Open), medical time outs off court with the medical staff are not allowed?? I mean, if this was an Aus Open match, and the same thing happened to Gurin then, he would have been able to go off court for official medical time out and make an informed decision whether to resume the match or retire. How come such conditions do not apply in Davis Cup?? I mean, there with Davis Cup, it is even more like a soccer match or basketball game in that teams are playing. And so as with those, it ought to be the case in tennis that if a player needs serious medical time out, then one of the other team mates ought to substitute and each team needs to have stand-ins or understudies in case substitution is needed which will be rare but as we can see here, this kind of circumstance fits. But even if the teams do not go down the road of subbing other team mates in, in case of a health issue like the one which played out here, at least, as in the Aus Open and other Grand Slams, there ought to be time-outs with the health professionals and at the conclusion of these time-outs, the particular decision that has been reached between them and the player needs to be taken on board by the umpire. PERIOD.
Sueiyin04-02-2025
