Simona Halep (34 years old), double Grand Slam winner and former world number 1, was part of a grandiose event on Saturday in Cluj-Napoca, retirement from tennis. The final speech in the BT Arena moved the entire audience.
The end of the career was marked by a demonstration match, together with Elina Svitolina, Gael Monfils and Andrei Pavel, in a gala evening, organized down to the smallest detail to be memorable for all those present. The end was also memorable, when Simona Halep took the microphone to convey a message full of meaning and emotion.
She very much wanted to end the evening by thanking the most important people who have been by her side in her career and throughout the moments, people who came to Cluj to applaud her once more, on the tennis court, among them Nadia Comăneci, Virginia Ruzici, Ilie Năstase and Gică Hagi.
Simona Halep, emotional speech at the last match of her career
At the moment of the speech at the end, Halep asked all those present to remain standing to applaud Virigina Ruzici, an essential person in Simona's career.
“The legends of Romanian sport are also here. I want to thank them for being with me. Nadia, Gică, Ilie… Thank you! I know that your hearts beat and beat for them too.
I want you to stand and applaud Mrs. Virginia Ruzici. He was my manager, he supported me since I was a junior. He always trusted me.
Even with Mr. Țiriac, he went and told him that I will become a tennis player. Please, more applause for her”, concluded Simona Halep, who previously had a long list of thanks.
The time has come to say goodbye. It is very emotional to speak today. I know this may be the last time I speak officially as a sportswoman. Today I will talk about me and you, who have supported me through thick and thin. You gave me the support I needed and never doubted me.
It meant a lot, it gave me the confidence to fight and keep going. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and those on TV. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart again.
I want to thank my coaches, present in the gym and present in my life. Without them, maybe it would have been harder, maybe I wouldn't have succeeded. They put a brick on this house that was my career.
– Simona Halep
I want to thank my sponsors, who have been with me for 13 years. It mattered that they trusted me as a person, thank you for standing by me! I want to thank Romania, here I was born, here I grew up, for the beautiful people. I hope from the bottom of my heart that this child who was here today will be a great champion, like many others, reach and surpass me.
I would like to end with my family, who have always been by my side. I thank him for existing and for making me exist. They were by my side to be able to fulfill this dream. To my father, who believed madly in this dream, and to my mother, who balanced the balance. They educated me well and told me to keep my feet on the ground. I also thank my brother, who often gave it up for me […]
– Simona Halep
