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 feelings are trying me but I’m making this decision with my soul," she said.
"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."
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