Halep was a hugely popular first-time Grand Slam champion, well-liked in the dressing room and within the sport in general for her groundedness and apparent lack of ego. Her desperation to win a major was well known and after Halep won in Paris, Martina Navratilova joked: “It wasn’t a monkey off her back; this was an 800lb gorilla.”

Two-time grand slam champion and former world No. 1 Simona Halep has retired from tennis. The Romanian announced her decision at the Transylvania Open in Cluj, Romania on Tuesday after losing her first-round match against Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-1.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has announced her retirement from tennis at age 33. Halep spoke to the crowd after a first-round loss at a tournament in her home country of Romania on Tuesday.