Simona Halep announces return to court for farewell match in Romania

Simona Halep has announced her return to tennis – though it will be for a definitive farewell to the courts in front of her home crowd. The former world No. 1 revealed today that she will return to play in Cluj-Napoca, at next year's Sports Festival.

The traditional Romanian event just concluded, featuring prominent figures from world sports during the weekend of June 12-15. Among those who attended were football World Cup champions Ronaldinho and Marco Materazzi, legendary Dutchman Wesley Sneijder, and other Romanian football stars.

Halep also attended the event – she officially retired in 2024 – but now wants to return to the tennis courts for a definitive farewell at the Sports Festival 2025. "I want to thank you all for the support throughout my career," Simona Halep said at the end of the event accordin to Incomod.

The Romanian played her last tournament at the recent Hong Kong Open, falling in the first round to China's Yuan Yue. Surprisingly, after the match, the Romanian took the microphone and, without prior notice, revealed that it would be her last professional match.

The final years of Halep's career were marred by a long suspension after testing positive for doping at the US Open 2022. The Romanian initially received a four-year sanction, later reduced to 18 months after being found innocent. Upon her return in early 2024, she was never able to regain her rhythm, and injuries ultimately took their toll, preventing her from returning to the big stages and the level she had shown throughout her career.