Former world number one Simona Halep has announced her retirement after suffering a resounding defeat in her first match of 2025.
Halep belatedly got her season under way in her home event, the Transylvania Open, in Romania on Tuesday, after being handed a wildcard.
But the two-time Grand Slam champion won just two games as Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti powered to a 6-1 6-1 victory in just 59 minutes.
Halep, who was given a four-year doping ban that was reduced to nine months due to a contaminated supplement, last competed on the WTA Tour in October in Hong Kong.
The 33-year-old confirmed her decision in an emotional on-court interview.
“Tonight, I don’t know if it’s with joy or sadness, I think both…