The 2026 season will likely be Sorana Cirstea’s farewell to the professional circuit.
The 35-year-old Cirstea introduced she’s going to retire after the 2026 season.
“I really like tennis. I really like the self-discipline, the routines, the arduous work,” Cirstea posted on Instagram. “The competitors and the adrenaline gas my soul. However like every thing in life, it should come to an finish.
“Subsequent yr it will likely be my twentieth yr on tour as knowledgeable tennis participant. I by no means anticipated to compete for such a very long time, however the final couple of years have been my happiest on courtroom they usually simply stored me going. That being stated, I’ve now determined that 2026 will likely be my final yr on tour.”
Cirstea calls her farewell season “not a farewell, however a see you yet one more time.”
“Once you love one thing a lot, it’s not straightforward to say “good bye”. For now although this isn’t a farewell, however a “see you yet one more time”,” Cirstea stated. “I nonetheless have numerous issues I wish to enhance, I’ve objectives and ambitions, so I hope to have the ability to obtain a few of them subsequent yr and end this glorious profession on a excessive observe and on my phrases.”
Final August, Cirstea transformed her fifth championship level defeating American Ann Li 6-2, 6-4 to seize the WTA 250 title in Cleveland. Contesting her seventh profession remaining, Cirstea collected her third profession Tour-level championship with out surrendering a set.
It got here 17 years after the Romanian veteran gained her maiden crown in Tashkent and 4 years after she gained Istanbul.
