The ATP number one eased past Alexander Zverev to win his third Grand Slam title, with WTA number one Sabalenka losing the final to Madison Keys.

She did, however, manage to reach a third successive Australian Open final, having won the previous two.

But it was success for 29-year-old Keys, who lost her only other Grand Slam final to Sloane Stephens at the 2017 US Open.

Simona Halep thinking of retirement because of ‘serious’ knee injury

Stephens reached the final of the French Open a year later, but lost to Simona Halep, who also emerged victorious at Wimbledon in 2019.

Halep was handed an Australian Open wildcard for last month’s Grand Slam, but later withdrew due to knee and shoulder pain.

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As quoted by Golazo, Romanian ace Halep has now provided an update on the former, saying: “The knee injury I have is quite serious and difficult to recover from.

“I don’t know if I’m afraid to push myself, but when I feel pain, it’s hard to play at my highest level. It’s very difficult to get back to where I was, especially after such a long break.

“The thought of retiring crosses my mind very often. I’ve reached an age where I have injuries that are hard to recover from.

“My knee won’t heal completely – I was advised to undergo surgery, but it’s a complicated procedure, and I don’t think I will go through with it. We’ll see what happens next. Life moves forward, and I’ll take things as they come.”

Simona Halep ‘fulfilled’ after winning two Grand Slam titles and reaching No.1

Halep had been on the comeback trail for an entirely different reason, having had her four-year doping ban reduced to nine months.

But a return to the Australian Open, where she lost the 2018 final, was ruled out because of injury, with Halep having also lost the 2014 and 2017 French Open finals.

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And injury now has the former WTA number one pondering retirement, with the 33-year-old adding: “Tennis is not everything in life. I have many desires and goals beyond the sport.

“Everything I have done has been extraordinary… I may not have even dreamed of becoming world No. 1 and winning two Grand Slam titles.

“I worked hard for it, and I feel fulfilled as a tennis player. Now, I want to do something else, not just tennis. The first part of my life was all about tennis; now, I want to explore other things.”

Halep has every right to be more than satisfied with her career, boasting 24 tour-level titles and reaching the world number one spot in 2017.

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