With mixed emotions coursing through her veins, Simona Halep retired in front of her home crowd in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Before calling the time on the professional run and hinting at retirement days ago, the Romanian star acquired strong credentials on the WTA. Naturally, that should suffice for her induction into the Hall of Fame, right? However, an ex-pro has provided a different perspective to those chances.
Halep came back to the circuit after a doping ban from September 2022 (at the US Open) sidelined her from professional competition. She tested positive for the banned drug Roxadustat and was handed a four-year ban. However, a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration (CAS), claiming that she was exposed to the contaminated supplement, cut her suspension to nine months. Despite returning in March last year, the Romanian superstar had a hard time re-establishing her footing on the tour.
Back-to-back losses on the Challenger-level events and an extensive injury-marred phase made her comeback journey turn bitter. Moreover, Halep was forced to skip out on her much-anticipated 2025 Australian Open reservations as she struggled to recover from her shoulder and knee concerns. Despite a strong show of force to continue, the former World No. 1 was cornered into calling it quits after suffering an opening round exit at her home event, the Winners Open in Romania.
The Romanian star’s illustrious run – house to two Slam wins in Paris and Wimbledon and 24 tour-level crowns- righteously warrants her place as a Hall of Famer. However, American ex-pro Jimmy Arias opined that the taint from her doping ban could question that process.
Speaking to the ‘Tennis Channel’, he said: “There’s obviously an asterisk next to her name. You always think about it. The results are there, the titles are there. The $40 million in prize money will always be there, which is good for her.”
Thank you, @Simona_Halep pic.twitter.com/m5e4RHb5tS
— wta (@WTA) February 5, 2025
“But it’s tough because there’s that question mark: ‘Did she do it fair and square or was there a little bit of an advantage?’ and how many matches did that represent? We don’t know the answer. So it’s tough, and I’m glad I’m not the one voting for the Hall of Fame,” he added.
Regardless, Halep is “at peace” – with her retirement decision and the doping saga that stabbed her professional career on the WTA.
Simona Halep bids emotional goodbye to fans farewell in Romania
Romanian superstar Simona Halep was reduced to tears as she made her retirement announcement to her home crowd at the Transylvania Open in Romania. She lost the opening round showdown against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti in straight-sets, after being awarded a wildcard entry into the ATP 250 event.
She then delivered an emotional on-court speech with a “peaceful heart” to her fans and highlighted that she was content with everything that followed throughout her stellar run on the tour.
“I feel both sadness and joy — both emotions are running through me right now. But I’m making this decision with a peaceful heart. My body can no longer sustain the effort it takes to get back to where I once was, and I know what that requires. That’s why I came here to Cluj — to play in front of you and to say goodbye.”
“I’m at peace — I know I did nothing wrong in tennis. I am clean, so it didn’t affect me mentally. It only took me out of the circuit — maybe that was intended, maybe that’s how the system works. But I’m here, I’m emotionally fine, and that’s what matters most,” she added.
For those unaware, Halep hung her racket as one of the only 29 women in 50 years to rank No. 1 in the world. She held that position for 64 weeks and minted a calm $40M in prize money from her victories. Now, the Romanian sensation will look forward to reaping the rewards of her years of hard work and making the most of her post-retirement life.
The post ‘An Asterisk Next to Her Name’- Simona Halep’s Doping Ban Puts Hall of Fame Induction at Risk as Ex-Pro Weighs In appeared first on EssentiallySports.