Simona Halep, who retired from tennis at the start of 2025, marked her 35th birthday on Sunday. The former WTA leader had vowed to learn golf following her tennis career, and she has now taken steps to fulfill that promise.
On Monday, Halep took to social media to share several images from the golf course, demonstrating her commitment to mastering the sport she had expressed a desire to learn after her retirement from tennis.
Halep Embraces Golf After Tennis Career
Alongside the photos, Simona Halep wrote “Golfing” to signify her new venture.
Halep announced her retirement from professional tennis in February 2025 during the Transylvania Open after suffering a first-round loss to Italian Lucia Bronzetti. This decision was made after a challenging period for the two-time Grand Slam champion, which included a positive test for roxadustat at the 2022 US Open and a lengthy process to clear her name regarding the use of banned substances.
After stepping away from the sport, Halep expressed her desire for a life free from the strict schedules and responsibilities that come with professional tennis. Among her goals was to pursue golf.
“I no longer want responsibility, I no longer want plans, I no longer want a strict schedule. I want to go play golf; that’s my goal, to learn to play,” Halep stated in 2025, according to treizecizero.ro.
Halep’s Legacy in Tennis
Simona Halep concluded a remarkable career in the history of Romanian tennis, capturing two Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019.
She held the world number one ranking for 64 weeks and spent 373 consecutive weeks in the WTA Top 10.
In addition to her Grand Slam victories, Halep won 22 WTA titles, with key triumphs including the 2020 Rome Open, and the Madrid Open in 2016 and 2017, as well as the Indian Wells tournament in 2015 and the Canada Open in 2018 and 2022.
“I don’t want to think about setting goals or pursuing anything. No, I just want to enjoy myself, travel, take vacations, and live. For so many years, I lived only for tennis. I didn’t pay attention to myself, and now I slowly want to move in that direction and feel a complete liberation and just be Simona. That’s it. I haven’t missed tennis so far. I don’t know, maybe after two or three years, I will miss it, but not yet. I enjoy the state of calm and the pressure-free environment.” – Simona Halep
