Halep was a hugely popular first-time Grand Slam champion, well-liked in the dressing room and within the sport in general for her groundedness and apparent lack of ego. Her desperation to win a major was well known and after Halep won in Paris, Martina Navratilova joked: “It wasn’t a monkey off her back; this was an 800lb gorilla.”

Two-time major champion Simona Halep announced her decision to retire from tennis on Tuesday after losing a match at a tournament in her home country of Romania. It was Halep's first match since October as she's been dealing with knee and shoulder pain that caused her to back out of the Australian Open last month.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has announced her retirement from tennis at age 33. Halep spoke to the crowd after a first-round loss at a tournament in her home country of Romania on Tuesday.