Two-time Slam winner Halep calls it a day after ban comeback falters

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 33 after a first-round loss at a tournament in her home country of Romania on Tuesday, ending an injury-blighted comeback from a doping suspension.

"I don't know if it's with sadness or joy — I think I'm feeling both — but my soul is at peace with this decision, and I've always been realistic with myself. My body can no longer handle as much as it used to, to get me where I probably once was," Halep said, using a microphone to address the crowd in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, following her 6-1, 6-1 loss to Lucia Bronzetti in the Transylvania Open.

"It's very hard to reach that level, and I know what it takes to get there," Halep said. "That's why I wanted to be here today, in Cluj, to play in front of you and say goodbye on the tennis court, even if my performance wasn't great."