Simona Halep reveals her next big goal after retiring from tennis: “I want to be a mother”

Simona Halep gave her first interview after announcing her retirement and revealed the best moment of her career. The former world No. 1 ended her journey as one of the most successful players of the past decade, winning 24 titles and reaching 18 more finals, including two Grand Slams.

Halep shocked the tennis world this week by announcing her retirement after a first-round loss at the Transylvania Open to Lucia Bronzetti (1-6, 1-6). The Romanian admitted that since her doping suspension back in 2022, she had considered the possibility of ending her career.

“The people around me kept me going and encouraged me to keep pushing forward. My tennis was very physical. And emotional. I am a very emotional person. Every match meant a lot to me. Before matches, I would get stomach pains, anxiety... It’s exhausting to go through that,” the 33-year-old revealed. “I’m very realistic. I mean, I can’t say that if I were world No. 1, I would come back and reach the Top 10 again. You have to work like a dog to get there. And right now, I just can’t do it anymore.”

“I have no regrets. If I were born again, I would do the same, but I like having the power to say, ‘Enough.’ You know? To accept that the time has come, with everything that has happened, to say, ‘That’s it,’” she added. “All I keep now are the beautiful memories, a spiritual fulfillment I never imagined. I take with me two Grand Slam titles, Wimbledon, which was incredible, the world No. 1 ranking, and so many tournament victories.”

The Romanian also mentioned a comment from her former coach Darren Cahill, who played a key role in her first Grand Slam title and her rise to world No. 1. “As Darren says: ‘You are the greatest in Romanian tennis history, so be proud of yourself!’ He even sent me a message just now saying, ‘You did it your way.’ He told me we should have a big celebration, I don’t know what,” Halep said, laughing.

For the former world No. 1, there was no hesitation in choosing her first major title as the most important moment of her career, a victory she achieved alongside Cahill. “Roland Garros 2018. Because of everything it meant. The national anthem on the court. It felt like I was in Romania! And after everything I had gone through, especially losing the final the year before, which haunted me for about three months. Wimbledon was different, but Roland Garros 2018 is the most important, clearly.”

Finally, Halep spoke about her plans after retirement, revealing that one of her goals is to become a mother in the future. “I want to be a mother. A good mother, like my own. I want to have children when I’m lucky enough to. But I also want to be normal. Because for the past 30 years, as a professional athlete, I haven’t lived like a normal person. Now, it’s time to explore other things.”