Tennis world sends flood of tributes after grand slam champ's retirement made official

Tennis fans and fellow players have congratulated Simona Halep on a wonderful career at a special ceremony to mark her retirement this week. A former World No.1 who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, Halep announced her retirement back in early 2025.

But it wasn’t until this week that she was given a special send-off at an official retirement celebration in Cluj-Napoca in her native Romania. She was joined by Andrei Pavel, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils for an exhibition doubles match, while Aussie former coach Darren Cahill was also on hand for the celebrations.

The match was played on a half-green, half-orange court to symbolise her grand slam triumphs at Wimbledon and Roland Garros. She was presented with a special photo collage by umpire Kader Nouni, while all of her most notable trophies were on display.

"I have been emotional since I arrived in Cluj because everything is about my career, about the people who supported me, and about this wonderful crowd that gave me some of my most beautiful mom ents while playing here in Romania," Halep said.

“I know this may be the last time I speak officially as an athlete. You supported me both in good and in bad times. When things in my career were very hard, you stood by me and gave me the strength I needed.

"You didn't doubt me, and that meant everything and gave me the confidence to work and move forward. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. To you, and to those watching on TV, because there are many hearts there as well, beating with us tonight."

Tennis world pays tribute to Simona Halep

Svitolina said: "It is a very special moment for Simona. We shared many important moments throughout our careers, and it [was] wonderful to be here."

Svitolina and Halep played each other 10 times on the WTA tour, with Svitolina winning six. But it was Halep who got the chocolates at grand slam level, winning two of their three meetings at majors - including the Wimbledon semis in 2019.

Halep wrote on social media: “Thank you for sharing this unforgettable moment with me. Having you by my side on court at my official retirement event was truly special.”

The Tennis Hall of Fame account commented: “Congrats Simo”. While Svitolina, Daniela Hantuchova and the Tennis Channel all sent messages of congratulations as well.

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