In tennis, we talk about elevating for the big moment, and summoning your best when the stakes are highest. Is there a better encapsulation of that than the 2019 Wimbledon final? Simona Halep was both an underdog and sentimental against the mighty Serena Williams, who had freshly returned from maternity leave and was also a seven-time Wimbledon champion. And that afternoon on Centre Court, Halep turned in a performance verging on flawless, beating the best of the best 6–2, 6–2 in less than an hour.

It was the signature win of Halep’s career—which is saying something. A Romanian who managed, at once, to be both fierce and thoroughly pleasant, Halep spent more than a decade in the top 10, the eighth-longest streak in WTA history. With slick movement and deceptive power that belied her modest frame, she won 24 titles including two majors. 

And Halep—who has announced her retirement from tennis at 33 years old—was nothing if not resilient. Losing a match, she would inevitably come back. Slumping with her results, you could count on her turning it around. She lost the first three major finals she reached. At the 2018 Australian Open, she fell to Caroline Wozniacki in what Halep herself called “a heartbreaker.” But her heart mended fast. At the very next major, she took the Roland Garros title and broke through.

She brought this same attitude to bear facing a crisis. After the 2022 U.S. Open, she tested positive for the banned substance Roxadustat. Already north of 30, she fought the doping charge ferociously, flatly stating her innocence, and admitting to the reputational damage. After nearly 18 months, an appeals tribunal ruled that “a balance of probabilities” supported her claim. She was cleared to return immediately.

With so much time off, she—and her body—struggled to resume her winning ways. But in her mind—and the minds of many others—she won her good name back.

And no cloud of controversy should obscure an overall picture. Here is a star who leaves the stage with Hall of Fame credentials—as fine a player as Romania has ever produced and a proper fighter until the end. 

After losing a match on Tuesday in Cluj, Romania, at the Transylvania Open, Halep stayed on the court and addressed the crowd:

“Even though my performance wasn’t very good, it was still my soul and I’m very glad that you came. I wonder if I’ll come back again but for now, it’s the last time I’ve played here. … I don’t want to cry. It’s a beautiful thing. I became world No. 1. I won Grand Slams. It’s all I wanted. Life goes on. There is life after tennis and I hope we will see each other again. Of course, I will continue to play tennis but to be competitive requires much more and at this moment, it is no longer possible.”