"My 2022 season is over" - Halep announces she won't play tennis in 2022 anymore

Thursday, 15 September 2022 at 14:30

Updated at Sunday, 02 February 2025 at 12:22

byErik Virostko

Simona Halep finally reached her goal and broke into the Top 10 of the WTA Rankings, but unfortunately for her, she had to end her season prematurely.

Just recently, the 30-year-old Romanian announced that she had to undergo nose surgery that would keep her "out for a few weeks." Now, Halep made a further announcement that stated that she won't be playing tennis this season anymore and should come back in 2023.

It's a disappointing end to what seemed to be a successful season for Halep. She fell out of the Top 10 in the past two seasons, but towards the end of the year, she seemingly found her best tennis again.

Now, however, she announced that her 2022 season will finish sooner than expected. Still, it could be considered a success for the former WTA World No. 1 player, who considered retiring from the sport only recently.

"I would like to inform you about my current situation, reflect on what happened this year and as I always did, share with you my deep feelings. As you all know already, because I’ve talked about it many times, in February, I was very close to stopping tennis because I didn’t believe I had enough power to come back to the Top 10."

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"I was going through many anxious moments, and I thought it was time to stop cause it was emotionally unhealthy. Then I was lucky to discover Patrick’s Academy, where I felt so much passion that it gave me back my passion for tennis."

It was under her new coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, that Halep found love for the sport again. She enjoyed being on the court, and she achieved her only goal, which was returning to the Top 10.

"Thanks to Patrick, I slowly started to believe that I still can play a good level of tennis. I was totally open to everything he told me to do, the way I should do it, and the amount of work that I should do. I did everything fully. My goal was very clear: I gave myself one year to get back to the Top 10. Goal achieved!"

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But despite enjoying the high of her comeback, Halep experienced the low as well. After the 2022 US Open, she felt drained, which is why she has decided to undergo surgery, which will now keep her away from the courts.

"But then, when I lost at the US Open, I realized that I was completely exhausted mentally. Having problems with breathing for many years already and becoming worse with time, I decided to follow the advice of my doctors and do the needed surgery. I don't know how long the recovery will take, for the moment I am not thinking about anything but recovery."

"What is sure, is that this year I won't be able to compete in any official tournament anymore. My 2022 season is over. 2022, you have been an interesting year full of everything! See you on court, 2023!! I feel I still have a lot to do on a tennis court and still have some goals."