“Honestly, things have changed 180 degrees” » Sorana Cîrstea, by the way, about the relationship with Alexandru Țiriac, in the context of discussions about withdrawal?

Sorana Cîrstea is in excellent form, and she proved it on Saturday, May 9, when she beat Aryna Sabalenka (28 years old, 1 WTA) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. On Monday, May 11, the Romanian achieved another important victory, the opponent being Linda Noskova (21 years old, 13 WTA): 6-2, 6-4.

Sorana Cîrstea, a few months after breaking up with Ion Țiriac Jr.: “Sometimes you have to let life surprise you”

Therefore, Cîrstea qualified for the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome, where he will meet the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko (28 years old, 36 WTA). Sorana's success this season has sparked much discussion about her decision to retire at the end of 2026.

Cîrstea promised that she will consider staying in the WTA circuit from next year as well if she gets the trophy in Rome. At the same time, in an interview with Tennis Channel, given after the victory with Noskova, the 36-year-old player gave a mysterious explanation related to the decision to retire.

Specifically, Sorana hinted that the decision was made with her personal life in mind, which has changed 180 degrees in recent months. Without saying with subject and predicate, it seems that the tennis player ranked 27th in the world referred to the relationship with Ion Țiriac Jr., which ended in February this year.

“When I announced the decision in December, I also thought more about the personal side. Since then, to be honest, I'm a person who doesn't talk much about my personal life, but things have changed quite a bit“, admitted Cîrstea.

“They changed 180 degrees and that was another way that life showed me that I shouldn't plan so much, that I shouldn't have everything organized. Sometimes you have to let life surprise you,” she added.

However, Sorana seems determined to go ahead with the decision she made and announced.

“Plus, I come from a place where there is no pressure and I don't want to start putting pressure on myself again. I said the door is a little open now. I have to be honest, I didn't expect to be able to play at this level and enjoy it so much. I feel lucky to have enjoyed tennis in the last years of my career because I love this sport,” explained the Transylvania Open champion.

Sorana Cîrstea will leave the capital of Italy with a trophy: “I recovered it a few days ago”

Cîrstea wants to win the title in Rome, but regardless of the result, she will leave the Italian capital with a trophy. That's because, a few days ago, he met with the tournament director in Cleveland, and he gave him a replica of the trophy he won in August 2025 and which was stolen from his hotel room.

“Yes, I got it back. Actually this is where I met the tournament director (no from Cleveland) a few days ago and he gave me the trophy. It's a copy, a replica. When I received it, I was very, very happy. So I already have a trophy in my bag”, Sorana said, implying that she was glad she had to pay for an extra bag at the airport, since it was a trophy.

Cîrstea won two trophies at the Transylvania Open, one for winning the tournament and the other for being named the most popular player. She says that the week she spent in Cluj-Napoca helped her play so well in 2026.

“I think that week gave me so much joy and released me a little because I always dreamed of winning a tournament at home. Since that week I feel like I'm flying. I've always been a dangerous player throughout my career. But I haven't been consistent. This year, I'm able to play at the same level every week and I think that makes the difference,” concluded Sorana.