"The game of tennis will miss you" – Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic pay tribute to Simona Halep
WTA
Simona Halep has officially retired from professional tennis, leaving behind a remarkable legacy.
The Romanian player has received glowing tributes from fans and fellow players, including Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic.
A legendary career
Halep will be remembered as one of the greatest players to grace the sport. Throughout her career, she secured 24 WTA singles titles, including French Open (2018) and Wimbledon (2019) victories, and spent 64 weeks as world number one.
Halep’s retirement came after a first-round loss at the Transylvania Open, where she bid an emotional farewell to her fans.
"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. I 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 and won Grand Slams; that’s all I wanted. Life goes on; there is life after tennis, and I hope we will see each other again."
Becker and Djokovic's tributes
Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic paid their respects to Halep’s incredible career.
Djokovic shared a message celebrating her achievements:
"Congratulations on an amazing career, Simona."
Becker also praised Halep’s success:
"Congratulations, Simo, for your incredible career! Wimbledon and Roland Garros champion, plus number one in the world, and many other trophies! The game of tennis will miss you! Many thanks for all your contributions!"
Other reactions from the tennis world
Several former players shared their thoughts on Halep’s retirement, including Daniela Hantuchova, who expressed her admiration:
"Huge congratulations and respect, @simonahalep, for your incredible career. Above all, for the wonderful human being you are—a true champion on and off the court!"
"It was always a privilege to share the court with you and later to commentate on your matches. Just a class act all around and the best example that no matter the frame, tennis can be dominated by crazy good footwork, tennis IQ, and the best backhand on the run that I have ever faced!"
"Thank you for all you have done for our sport. You will be missed!"
What’s next for Halep?
Now that her professional career has come to an end, Halep is stepping into a new phase of life. While she is leaving the competitive world of tennis, her impact on the sport will continue to inspire future generations.
Thank you for everything. I leave full of gratitude ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4E6dIpVbG6
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) February 5, 2025
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- Creepy.
mandoist07-02-2025 - Ouch!!mandoist07-02-2025
- they need to change the rules on the WTA to limit wildcards more effectively like they have on the ATPSososo06-02-2025
- 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 - "If Novak did this, he would be defaulted for life. WTF." 🤣 WTF sounds like What Tennis Fury?! What Tennis Flurry??! I mean, se-rious-ly, it was actually the unfairness of the silly umpire's decision that is the issue here! Further, how come it was Gurin & his team who got disqualified? If this kind of thing happens in soccer, it would be the other guy getting the yellow or red card! Because after all, it was the Belgian who's foul it was so why then penalize the opponents for something they didn't instigate? Fouls in both basketball and soccer are read as a hinderance that has been caused by the player who INITIALLY instigated the hinderance. In this case, okay, it is tennis, but while the precise rules are different to either soccer or basketball, the same type of recognition as to whoever instigates a hinderance should apply, and in this case, it was the Belgian player.Sueiyin04-02-2025
- Medvedev talking to his form here. "Some actual deep problem." 🤣😂🤣MrAndreeva03-02-2025
- "Hopefully, the team around her will help... " Actually, the lack thereof seems to have been part of the problem(s). Another possibility is that, while dealing with legitimate surgeries, withdrawing, and otherwise passing on events, the competition has stepped-up in intensity while she was busy with traveling, photo shoots, and TV commercials.mandoist03-02-2025
- Ha-ha-ha... Translation: I'll help as long as I don't have to meet in person and endure the ongoing BS"mandoist03-02-2025
