The journeys and the triumphs, be they over opponents, self-imposed Cliffs of danger, or even one last collective foe that tried to tear down this very ediface while positioned in the shadows.
We congregate within these walls to marvel and commisserate, to commend and recall, the very "Heart of Backspin."
64 weeks at World No. 1??
— wta (@WTA) February 5, 2025
2 Grand Slam titles ????
24 WTA singles titles ??
1 amazing career, @Simona_Halep pic.twitter.com/B3nFFAi6gw
During her competitive tennis lifetime, Simona Halep was the WTA's "warrior goddess." Despite a relatively pint-sized body, the Romanian channeled (in good and bad ways) the likes of both Justine Henin (the Romanian's tennis idol, and smallish-in-size-but-big-in-heart kin) and Jana Novotna (her "psychic twin" from another era who similarly battled past her own mental roadblocks before finally achieving her greatest career moment) over the course of a career that stretched across three decades, from her first pro event in 2006 to her last some nineteen seasons later. Halep's straightforward resilience came to define the intangible hurdles that must be overcome before even one of the world's best athletes can sometimes permit herself to "breathe it all in." Halep's tennis immortality was hard-earned (and challenged into its eleventh hour), but will stand the test of time because, in any era, the internalized nature of a life within the boundaries of the sport means that it will inevitably play host to talented individuals who nonetheless doubt themselves and seek to hold their efforts up to an almost unattainable standard. If they're lucky, circumstances ultimately force such athletes to endure an almost Herculean series of potentially psychologically crushing labors before finally, hearteningly, being rewarded with the major success they long craved.
Maneuvering though a stretch of history in which power players often rose to the top, Halep's continual fight allowed her to experience her moment atop the heap. Quite a few of them, in fact. For her, that meant two major titles, 24 WTA singles titles (in 42 finals, w/ nine Premier/1000 crowns), 45 Top 10 wins, 64 weeks at #1 (12th all-time), and back-to-back season-ending #1 rankings in 2017-18.
Perhaps most impressive, though, was the Romanian's ability during the heart of her career to avoid the usual up-and-down, ranking-sinking lapses that generally bedevil even the very best players during the ebb-and-flow of a long time on the big stage. Halep experienced her breakthrough season in 2013 (at age 20-21, she won the first six tour-level titles of her career and posted her maiden second week result at a major at the U.S. Open). After finishing at #11 that year, she ran off a 3-2-4-1-1-4-2 string of seven straight Top 5 (Top 4, actually) season-ending rankings that ran through the 2020 season, tying Serena Williams for the most Top 5 seasons (6) in the 2010s but also being the *only* woman that decade to put together her total in *consecutive* campaigns. When Halep posted her sixth straight Top 5 singles season in 2020 it had been nearly two decades (Martina Hingis from 1996-2001) since another player had done the same. As Halep exits the sport, the longest active Top 5 streaks belong to the WTA's top two players, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, both with current four-year runs. In all, Halep had streaks of 373 weeks in the Top 10 (2014-21, the eighth longest WTA streak ever, and the longest in the past quarter-century, since the close of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario's 429-week stay in 1999), and 405 weeks in the Top 20 (2013-21), while finishing eight seasons (over a nine-year stretch) in the Top 10, and ten straight inside the Top 20 (2013-22).
A junior champion at Roland Garros in '08, Halep somewhat controversially decided to undergo breast reduction surgery at age 17 largely because she believed it would improve her "ability to react quickly" on the court. Within three years, she rose from around #50 in the world to finish the year at #11. A season later, she became the first Romanian since 1996 (Irina Spirlea) to reach the Top 10, and then the first from her nation to reach a slam final (at Roland Garros) since 1980 (Virginia Ruzici). She lost in Paris in three tough sets vs. Maria Sharapova (the Russian declared it the toughest of her slam final victories). It wouldn't be the last time Halep would come close to great success, only to fall just short. Even as she maintained a high level of tennis, a slam title remained an elusive prize.
Largely, the problem resided within Halep herself. She admitted that when she was a little girl she "didn't have the courage to dream," and as she reached her mid-twenties, having been on tour for nearly a decade, her worst enemy continued to be a stubborn lack of belief in herself. Though she had the
After a short break with Cahill after he'd walked away in the spring of '17, issuing Halep an ultimatum after he believed she'd given up in a match vs. Johanna Konta in Miami, Simona was finally "scared straight" and vowed to right the internal wrongs that only *she* could fix. The moment, and her reaction to it, changed everything. She reached her second RG final a few months later (losing to Alona Ostapenko after holding a 6-4/3-0, with 3 BP for 4-0, lead). The loss left her a win short of reaching #1, but she completed the climb that fall in Beijing (def. RG conquerors Sharapova and Ostapenko before falling in the final vs. Caroline Garcia), becoming the first Romanian woman to do so, and finished the season in the top spot. At the Australian Open the following January, Halep nearly upstaged the *actual* champion of the event (Caroline Wozniacki) with her incredible string of marathon performances -- she battled out of huge scoreboard holes, injury and exhaustion in the intense Melbourne heat -- en route to a third slam final. It was likely the greatest non-championship performance of the 2010s, and arguably ranks with the greatest ever. She ended up being hospitalized after the event, but her course was set for something great.
At Roland Garros that spring, finally, she wasn't to be denied. In Halep's third final in five years in Paris, the long distance triumph of the resilient Romanian finally became a reality with a maiden slam crown that somehow made all the heartbreak, anger, injury, blood, sweat, tears and disappointment worth it. Her deserved moment in the sun brought down a crescendo of relief, satisfaction and admiration both from and for Halep, her legions of fans and fellow players alike, cementing her legacy not only as a national sporting treasure in her home country but as one of the most beloved tennis champions worldwide.
Halep backed up her #1 season in '17 with another in '18, coming within a MP (vs. Kiki Bertens in the final) of the first ever Canada/Cincinnati title sweep in back-to-back weeks (it's still never happened). With her success having helped her learn to be more "chill," and even with Cahill stepping away from coaching (for family reasons) for the year, a (finally) relaxed Halep had an unexpected victory lap at Wimbledon a season later in which she played perhaps the best match of her career in a comprehensive handling of Serena Williams in the SW19 final for slam title #2.
Coming after her many lessons learned had instilled a still-growing confidence in her own abilities brought Simona an extra special "bonus" victory that remarkably may have even topped her win in Paris. *That* title run was about proving to herself what she was capable of, while her second major title was about what she had *become* because of that hard-earned knowledge. Halep had taught herself to *always* be strong, and her second major win was her first public moment as a player (and individual) in which she was free to revel in that accomplishment. Halep could have slowly -- or even quickly -- eased out the door after her win at the AELTC and no one would have batted an eyelash (Novotna had returned the year after her lone slam win, was honored at Wimbledon as the reigning champion, then retired at the end of the season, having just turned 31). There were only a handful of accomplishments that remained unattained, namely Olympic (she ultimately didn't play in either 2021 or '24, with her lone appearance in the games coming as a 20-year old in 2012) and/or Fed Cup (later BJK Cup) glory (Halep led Romania to the '19 semis months after winning at SW19, only to fall in a deciding doubles match vs. France) while representing her beloved Romania. But neither were *essential* to how her career would be viewed in the long run. With Halep's 29th birthday coming late in the pandemic-rearranged 2020 season, it did not go unnoticed that the likes of Henin had already retired *twice* by the time the Belgian turned 29. But Simona forged on, seeking... well, it was never quite clear. Her fans -- including this one -- were glad she stuck around to be admired on the tennis landscape a bit longer, but it would be a decision that would have its own unique and unexpected repercussions. She still had more to give, and win.
The fragmented 2020 season saw Halep be unable to defend her Wimbledon title, as the event was cancelled for the first time since World War II, nor was she able to collect a second RG title in the September/October version of the event (she was the #1 seed, and lost to eventual champion Iga Swiatek along the Pole's maiden championship run in Paris). It all prevented her from a third #1 season in four years, as she finished #2 behind Ash Barty. Still, Halep's three titles tied for the tour lead, while she led the tour in win percentage (23-3 - 88.5%), and posted her eighth career SF+ result (AO) at a major. Her 17-match win streak was a career best, and the longest on tour in seven years. Injuries plagued Halep's 2021 season, as she was unable to play Wimbledon, after which she fell out of the Top 10 for the first time since 2014. She finished the year ranked #20, ending her seven-year Top 5 season streak as she went without a singles title for the first time since 2012. But, at 30, Halep wasn't one to choose to end on a hollow note. So, after beginning 2022 with a Week 1 title, followed by serious consideration of retirement in February, she once more charged into the breach. It was all she knew, really. It was also understandable, for most great champions, of which Halep had become, often have a (sometimes multi-season) final push that challenges the notion that her "prime" really was just that. A grand late-career period in many cases turns out to be the most rewarding, and even enjoyable, part of a career filled with previous success because, maybe for the first time, the player is able to fully embrace (and share) the experience of the journey with both their inner circle and the throngs who have watched it play out from afar, doing so until the final curtain comes down, often with a wave of fanfare and a warm embrace. Halep never experienced such a gradually building crescendo of emotion. In May of 2022, Halep added Patrick Mouratoglou as her full-time coach (turning over the stewardship of her career to him, as well as his team). It was a move that, while it signaled a reinvigoration of Halep's love for the game and a seriousness about making one great final drive for *more* to close out her career (she gave herself a one year deadline to return to the Top 10), was also no small decision, considering the controversy that has often followed the Frenchman around to his various coaching stops across both tennis tours. It would turn out to be a regrettable move that nearly marred her career with an irreversible black mark, and ultimately helped to end it. As it played out on the court, Halep spent that spring/summer looking for a "signature" win with her new partnership that would moor her season to a tangible port of call. She finally was healthy enough to return to Wimbledon for the first time since her 2019 win, and reached what would be her ninth and final major SF, but only after the AELTC's arguably obscene decision to not honor Halep with the Day 2 Centre Court opening match traditionally reserved for reigning women's champions. She'd missed her opportunity when the tournament wasn't held in 2020, then was injured the following year. In a stroke of luck, the '22 champion (Barty) had since retired and wasn't available to fill the annual spot, meaning Halep could have belatedly taken her turn. Instead, the schedule placed #1 seed Swiatek, who'd rarely shown much regard for the tournament nor grass court tennis in general despite once being a junior champ at SW19, in the traditional slot while Halep (on the same day) was relegated to Court 1. Shameful. Halep finally found her season's "big get" in late summer in Toronto, where she claimed her biggest title in two years, tying S.Williams for the most Premier/1000 final appearances (18) since 2009 (when the tournament structure debuted), and a week later in Cincinnati left as the all-time Premier/1000 match win (186) leader. Her title run in Canada returned Halep to the Top 10, beating her dealine by nine months.
Finally, Halep seemed set to burnish her legacy, but in fact her career was nearly over. Toronto would be her final title, and she'd only play seven more matches after Cincinnati. First, she disappointingly exited the U.S. Open in the 1st Round with a loss to Daria Snigur (oddly enough, three years earlier, the Ukrainian had been crowned the Wimbledon junior champ on the same day that Halep won the women's title). Soon after, Halep announced that her nearly year-long marriage to Macedonian businessman Toni Iuruc was ending in divorce, then that her season was over after undergoing nose surgery to correct a breathing issue. Then, in October, it was announced that Halep had tested positive for the banned substance Roxadustat at Flushing Meadows following her loss to Snigur. Robbed of a final victory lap, Halep's final chapter as a player was mostly about trying to become one again. Another fight, another dance along a Cliff's edge, another time where she needed to gather her will to survive. Not surpsrisingly, she fought and eventually prevailed. But it proved to be the biggest fight of a career filled with battles, only this one wasn't an internalized tête-à-tête. Instead what occurred was a virtual public trial played out largely on social media, a version of "tennis McCarthyism" in which Halep was the easy victim of character assassination as she was declared/assumed guilty the moment the positive test was announced before having the opportunity to prove her innocence (or some smeasure of fault), i.e. the standard operating procedure of the sport's Alphabets-laden drug testing apparatus, long a highly questionable endeavor (at best, "corrupt" at worst) that often focuses on retribution and justification of its own existence rather than whatever self-serving moralistic code each branch happens to espouse. Halep's case proved to be handled in one of the most disgraceful manners on record, with the Romanian remaining (maybe to her detriment, as the Alphabets don't look kindly on disapproval, see the previous case of Maria Sharapova) a consistent and adament public voice in her own defense and against the dubious collective testing apparatus in charge of "policing" the sport.
Halep's original positive test came in August 2022, and was reported two months later. The hearing before her accusers didn't finally occur until the following June, ten months after the test. It took until September 2023, eleven months after her provisional suspension began, for her appeal to be (as expected) denied and a "final" four-year ban issued (the ITIA actually doubled-down and added a totally separate second charge... but only after Halep had publicly spoken out about the multiple postponements and long delay before she was even able to present her case). It took five more months -- until February 2024 -- for her long-awaited hearing before an independent court of arbitration (CAS) to occur. That result was rendered fairly quickly (for once), as the positive test was blamed on a contaminated supplement for which Halep was declared to be guilty of some level of negligence for having consumed (though her new 'team" had approved it, no members suffered any official consequences). The four-year suspension was reduced to *nine months*, a period shorter than it took for her initial hearing to take place and her original ban finalized. History thus said that her suspension had ended in *July 2023*, some seven months before *the* final ruling was issued. What a (corrupt) mess, and a true indictment of the whole system. But the end result was that Halep was cleared to immediately return to action. If only it were that simple.
🙌 Here for it 🙌
— wta (@WTA) March 19, 2024
Simona Halep makes her return to the Hologic WTA Tour as she takes on Paula Badosa in R1 of the @MiamiOpen! pic.twitter.com/GDoPi1SsD4
Simona. Halep.@MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/i7BfIoFUS2
— wta (@WTA) March 19, 2024
Halep returned in March in Miami. It was a glorious moment, and proved to be the high point of her brief, 11-month return, even though it was a 1st Round loss to Paula Badosa in three sets. She almost immediately encountered issues with injury (knee/shoulder) after more than a year and a half away from intense training. Halep retired from her 1st Round match in Paris (at a 125, not Roland Garros) in May, and didn't play again until October. She notched a lone win over Arina Rodionova in Hong Kong, but finished the season with a 1-4 record. Of course, by the end of 2024, Halep's long ordeal had been followed by the stark difference in the drug testing/reporting process that was displayed by the Alphabets when #1-ranked players Swiatek and Jannik Sinner both tested positive for banned substances. Unlike with situations both including and before Halep's, their positive tests were kept secret, as was their serving of initial provisional suspensions, and when the annoucements did come a relatively short time later (Sinner five months after the test in question, Swiatek even fewer) they were accompanied by immediate public rulings of "no fault" by the players (Swiatek served an additional month-long suspension during the offseason). Halep was rightly angered by double standards present in the process. It could be that the ludicrous nature of how Halep's case played out *did* manage to change the way that such cases will be handled in the future. If a get-it-over-and-done-with form of punishment was the norm some players might just accept the suspension to get on with things (but still appeal the charges to "clear the record") rather than get into a "life-or-death" battle that sullies everyone involved. Only time will tell. Of course, that did nothing for Halep. For her case managed to light the match that ultimately helped set ablaze whatever remained of her career. While the fact remains that, if not for the foot-dragging, vindictive attempts at retribution and her own fight to return to the court, Halep (at 33) may have been already been retired by time the 2025 season began. Her remaining time had seemed potentially short when she won Wimbledon, and that had been *six* seasons earlier. As Halep was unable to post for the '25 Australian Open, the writing began to appear on the wall. Her return would ultimately include just six singles matches, one win, and knee and shoulder injuries that, finally led her to the realization and acceptance that she'd done enough, was satisfied with her accomplishments, and no longer desired to put forth the supreme effort that a grueling rehab from knee surgery would require with no overwhelming belief that at this point she could ever recapture the past. So she decided to let that past rest.
Halep retired in Romania, as she would surely have always wished, in front of a throng of adoring home fans (and fellow players) in Cluj-Napoca after a 1st Round singles match (a loss to Lucia Bronzetti) that proved to be finale in the Transylvania Open event as well as her WTA career. The Cliffs of Simona are now closed to all visitors, treacherous to their namesake no more.
Halep's long final fight threatened to erase much of the memory of the unique, resilent greatness of her tennis career. Hopefully, though, the memories of the frustrating struggle with unseen forces and the resulting disappointing return will fade, and the Simona of Paris, London and other places of glory and/or fields of battle will remain, growing stronger by the day. Just as Halep did over the course of her tennis journey.
Thank you for everything. I leave full of gratitude ?? pic.twitter.com/4E6dIpVbG6
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) February 5, 2025
As Halep exits, I hope this reminiscence will help (at least a tiny little bit) when it comes the recalling and reinstallation of the institutional memory of what her career was actually about. I know it was a good exericise for *me* to re-live some of the trials, tribulations and triumphs that helped make Halep what I've dubbed in the past as "The Heart of Backspin." No player has hit as many notes -- both high and low -- while building a momentum toward something great as Simona did during the existence of this space. She's more than earned her place on my personal women's tennis "Mount Rushmore" alongside the likes of Novotna, Henin and Jelena Dokic.
And we bow our heads. I beseech thee, as I do now, to close your eyes and search your soul. To call up an image that represents our dear Simona, that represents -- to you -- her journey to her promised land. For each individual, the image may be different, be it in victory or at the close of a battle undertaken albeit temporarily lost. But none are anything less than the result of a will that proved to be undeniable. And thus it is in this house of worship that we all RISE UP and recite and declare, for one final time within these holy walls, what the scripture demands. Can you hear it in your mind's ear? It's ever so faint, but getting stronger. And stronger still. Ah, there it is... "Si-mo-na... Si-mo-na." Louder. Say it, in unison! "Si-mon-na! Si-mo-na! Si-mo-na!" Yes, there it it! Si-mo-na! Si-mo-na! Si-mo-na! For the doors of the Church of Simona will never truly close! Never. Amen.
Thank you, @Simona_Halep ?? pic.twitter.com/m5e4RHb5tS
— wta (@WTA) February 5, 2025
Backspin Flashback: Halep's Wimbledon Dream (2019)
