History of Simona Halep in Timeline

Simona Halep is a Romanian former professional tennis player who achieved the world No. 1 ranking in women's singles by the WTA for 64 weeks and finished as the year-end No. 1 in 2017 and 2018. She secured 25 WTA Tour-level titles throughout her career, most notably winning two Grand Slam titles at the 2018 French Open and the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. Halep is considered one of the most successful tennis players from Romania.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1973: Historical Fed Cup Semifinal

In 1973, Romania had last reached the Semifinals of the World Group, which makes the 2019's achievement their best result.

1974: Mariana Simionescu won the 1974 French Open

In 2008, Simona Halep won her only junior Grand Slam title at the French Open, becoming the second Romanian girl to win a junior Grand Slam singles title after Mariana Simionescu, who won the French Open in 1974.

1986: First to win her first six career titles in the same season since Steffi Graf in 1986

In 2013, Simona Halep was the first woman to win her first six career titles in the same season since Steffi Graf achieved this feat in 1986. Halep attributed her improvement to developing a more positive mindset.

1986: Won her first six WTA titles in the same season in 2013, the first to do so since Steffi Graf in 1986

Simona Halep won her first six WTA titles in the same season in 2013, the first to do so since Steffi Graf in 1986, leading to her being named the WTA Most Improved Player of the year.

September 1991: Simona Halep born

Simona Halep was born in September 1991.

September 1991: Simona Halep born on 27 September 1991

Simona Halep was born on September 27, 1991, in Constanța, Romania, to Stere and Tania Halep.

1997: Martina Hingis at the 1997 Australian Open

In 2014, Halep reached her maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open without dropping a set, making her the first woman to achieve this since Martina Hingis at the 1997 Australian Open.

2005: Began playing on the ITF Junior Circuit in 2005

Simona Halep began playing on the ITF Junior Circuit in 2005 at the age of 13.

2006: Turned pro in 2006

Simona Halep turned professional in 2006, starting her career playing low-level ITF Women's Circuit events in Romania.

May 2007: Won first ITF singles and doubles titles in May 2007

In May 2007, Simona Halep won her first two ITF singles and doubles titles in Bucharest.

2007: Won her first and only Grade 1 title at the Perin Memorial in Umag in April 2007

In April 2007, Simona Halep won her first and only Grade 1 title at the Perin Memorial in Umag. She also made her junior Grand Slam debut that year.

June 2008: Won first $25k singles title in Sweden in June 2008

In June 2008, Simona Halep won her first $25k singles title in Sweden.

2008: Started working with Firicel Tomai

In 2008, Simona Halep began working with Firicel Tomai as her coach.

2009: Reached a $50k final in 2009 and debuted in the top 200

In 2009, Simona Halep reached a $50k final in Makarska and debuted in the top 200 of the WTA rankings.

2009: WTA 1000 finals

In August of 2022, at the Canadian Open, Halep reached the semifinals, and became the player with the joint-most WTA 1000 18 finals to level with Serena Williams since 2009.

April 2010: WTA Tour main-draw debut in April 2010

In April 2010, Simona Halep made her WTA Tour main-draw debut, reaching the quarterfinals at the Andalucia Tennis Experience and finishing runner-up at the Morocco Open.

2010: Debut for Romania Fed Cup team

In 2010, Halep debuted for the Romania Fed Cup team in the third-tier Europe/Africa Zone Group I. The team needed to win all three ties in their round-robin pool to have a chance to get promoted. Halep won all three of her singles matches in 2010, but lost a decisive doubles match partnering with Raluca Olaru against Switzerland.

2011: First Grand Slam tournament matches at the Australian Open in 2011

In 2011, Simona Halep won her first career Grand Slam tournament matches at the Australian Open, reaching the third round.

2011: Broke into the world's top 50 at the end of 2011

Simona Halep first broke into the world's top 50 at the end of 2011.

2012: First season without a WTA singles title since 2012

2021 was the first season since 2012 where Halep did not win a WTA singles title.

2012: Fed Cup Appearances

In 2012, Halep continued to play for the Romania Fed Cup team. While they still competed in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I, they once again only won two out of three ties. Halep won all three of her singles matches in 2012, but lost a decisive doubles match partnering with Irina-Camelia Begu against Poland.

2012: Competed at the 2012 Olympics

In 2012, Simona Halep competed in the women's singles and doubles at the Olympics, losing in the first round of both.

2012: 2012 London Olympics

In 2012, Simona Halep represented Romania at the London Olympics, losing her opening round match.

August 2013: Broke into the top 20 in August 2013

Simona Halep broke into the world's top 20 in August 2013.

2013: Transition to Aggressive Baseliner

Around 2013, Simona Halep transitioned from a defensive grinder to an aggressive baseliner, improving her style of play.

2013: Fed Cup Participation

In 2013, Halep did not play, and the Romania Fed Cup team won only one tie in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I.

2013: Left Adrian Marcu

In 2013, despite having a breakthrough year with six titles, Simona Halep left coach Adrian Marcu at the end of the season.

January 2014: Broke into the top 10 in January 2014

In January 2014, Simona Halep broke into the top 10.

May 2014: Adidas Sponsorship

In May 2014, Simona Halep started her sponsorship deal with Adidas, which ended at the start of 2018.

November 2014: Vodafone Romania Deal

In November 2014, Simona Halep began a three-year deal with Vodafone Romania, appearing in commercials with her mother.

2014: Hired Wim Fissette

At the start of 2014, Simona Halep hired Wim Fissette, a former coach of Kim Clijsters. She made her first Grand Slam final at the 2014 French Open. At the end of the season she switched coaches to Victor Ioniță.

2014: Consistent Top 5 Finishes

From 2014, Halep finished each year in the top 5.

2014: Entering Top 10

Halep entered the Top 10 in January 2014.

2014: Fed Cup Success and Promotion

In 2014, Halep rejoined the Romania Fed Cup team as they swept their group, defeating Hungary, Great Britain, and Latvia, despite Halep's first Fed Cup singles loss to Tímea Babos against Hungary. They then won a playoff against Ukraine to advance to the World Group II play-offs. Halep and Sorana Cîrstea won the two singles rubbers.

2014: WTA Most Popular Player of the Year

In 2014, Simona Halep was named the WTA Most Popular Player of the Year for being the most-clicked player on the WTA website.

2015: Strong Start and Title Wins in 2015

In 2015, Halep started strong, reaching at least the quarterfinals in her first six events. After winning the Shenzhen Open, she reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. She then won the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Indian Wells Open. Her win streak ended at the Miami Open, where she lost in the semifinals to Serena Williams. During the clay court season, she reached two semifinals and was upset in the second round of the French Open and Wimbledon.

2015: Promotion to World Group II

In 2015, Romania defeated Serbia 4–1 in the World Group II play-offs to get promoted to World Group II. Halep and Cîrstea each played two singles rubbers, with Halep suffering the only loss against Ana Ivanovic.

2015: WTA Most Popular Player of the Year

In 2015, Simona Halep was named the WTA Most Popular Player of the Year for being the most-clicked player on the WTA website.

2016: Challenges and Recovery in 2016

In 2016, Halep had a slow start, including an opening round loss at the Australian Open. She dealt with an Achilles injury and infections. In March, she lost in the quarterfinals at the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open. However, she won the Madrid Open, returning to the top 5. She lost to Samantha Stosur in the fourth round of the French Open and reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

2016: Fed Cup Against Czech Republic

In 2016, Romania was drawn against the defending champion Czech Republic team in the World Group.

2016: Began working with Darren Cahill

In 2016, Simona Halep began working with Darren Cahill as her coach.

2016: Fed Cup World Group Debut

In 2016, Simona Halep made her Fed Cup World Group debut against the Czech Republic, postponing nose surgery to participate. She lost to Karolína Plíšková but defeated Petra Kvitová on the second day. Despite her efforts, the Czech team won the decisive doubles rubber, and Romania was later relegated back to World Group II after Halep lost to Angelique Kerber against Germany.

2016: Skipped 2016 Rio Olympics

In 2016, Simona Halep skipped the Rio de Janeiro Olympics due to concerns over the Zika virus.

2016: Hublot Watches Sponsorship

Since 2016, Simona Halep has been internationally sponsored by Hublot watches.

2017: Year-end No. 1 in 2017

In 2017 Simona Halep was ranked as the year-end No. 1.

2017: Fed Cup World Group II Play-offs

In 2017, Halep was instrumental in Romania winning the Fed Cup tie 3–2 against Great Britain to remain in World Group II, winning both her singles matches.

2017: World Group II

In 2017, Romania was relegated back to World Group II. Simona Halep did not participate in the first Fed Cup tie due to injury, and the team lost to Belgium.

2017: WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year in 2017

In 2017, Simona Halep was named the WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year.

2017: WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player

In 2017, Simona Halep was named the WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player.

2017: Runner-up at the 2017 French Open

Simona Halep finished as runner-up at the 2017 French Open.

2017: Mercedes-Benz Romania Ambassador

Since 2017, Simona Halep has been a brand ambassador for the Mercedes-Benz Romania automobile manufacturing company.

February 2018: Nike Clothing Sponsor

Since February 2018, Nike has been Simona Halep's clothing sponsor.

2018: Celebrations after French Open

After winning the 2018 French Open, Simona Halep was welcomed back to Romania with large celebrations at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, attended by about 15,000 people.

2018: Romania Advances to World Group Play-offs

Although Halep missed the 2018 World Group II tie due to injury, Romania won the tie against Canada to advance back to the World Group play-offs.

2018: Year-end No. 1 in 2018

In 2018 Simona Halep was ranked as the year-end No. 1.

2018: Runner-up at Australian Open

In 2018, Simona Halep finished as the runner-up at the Australian Open, marking her closest attempt at winning a Grand Slam title on hard courts.

2018: WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year in 2018

In 2018, Simona Halep was named the WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year.

2018: Best Returner on WTA Tour

In 2018, Simona Halep was one of the best returners on the WTA Tour, ranking first in percentage of first serve return points won at 42.9%, fourth in percentage of second serve return points won at 60.8%, first in percentage of return games won at 48.5%, and ninth in percentage of break points won at 50.1%.

2018: Won French Open with Cahill

In 2018, Simona Halep won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open with Darren Cahill as her coach. Cahill left her team after the 2018 season to spend more time with his family.

2018: Won her first major title at the 2018 French Open

Simona Halep won her first major title at the 2018 French Open.

2019: Celebrations after Wimbledon

After winning the 2019 Wimbledon, Simona Halep was welcomed back to Romania with large celebrations at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, attended by about 30,000 people.

2019: Recovery and Setbacks in 2019

In 2019, Halep recovered from a back injury. She lost her first match at the Sydney International and lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing the No. 1 ranking. She was runner-up at the Qatar Open and reached the semifinals at the Miami Open. She lost in the final at the Madrid Open and in the quarterfinals at the French Open, falling to No. 8 in the rankings.

2019: Defending Champion at Wimbledon

In 2019, Halep was the defending champion at Wimbledon.

2019: Romania reaches Fed Cup Semifinals

In 2019, Romania reached the Fed Cup semifinals for the first time since 1973. Halep won both of her singles matches against the Czech Republic in the first round, and Romania eventually won the tie. In the semifinals against France, Halep won her two singles matches, but Romania lost in the decisive doubles rubber.

2019: Promotion to Top-Tier World Group

In 2019, Romania secured promotion back to the top-tier World Group in Fed Cup, with Halep winning two singles rubbers against Switzerland.

2019: Year-End No. 1 Ranking

In 2019, Simona Halep finished the year with the No. 1 ranking.

2019: Won Wimbledon with Dobre

In 2019, Simona Halep hired Daniel Dobre as her coach and won her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. In the autumn of 2019, she announced the return of Darren Cahill as coach.

2019: WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year in 2019

In 2019, Simona Halep was named the WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year.

2019: Claimed the 2019 Wimbledon Championships

Simona Halep defeated Serena Williams to claim the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.

2020: Start of 2020 Season

In 2020, Halep started the WTA Tour at the new tournament in Adelaide, where she was defeated in the quarterfinals by Aryna Sabalenka. At the Australian Open, Halep reached the semifinals, where she lost to Garbiñe Muguruza.

2020: WTA Title Wins and French Open Loss in 2020

In 2020, Halep won her 20th, 21st, and 22nd WTA titles in Dubai, Prague, and Rome, respectively. She lost to Iga Świątek in the fourth round of the French Open, missing out on regaining the No. 1 ranking. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted much of the season.

2020: Withdrawal from 2020 Tokyo Olympics

In 2020, Simona Halep withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics due to a calf injury, despite being set to be Romania's flag bearer.

August 2021: Ranked in the top 10 until August 2021

From January 27, 2014, to August 8, 2021, Simona Halep was ranked in the top 10 for 373 consecutive weeks.

September 2021: Rehired Adrian Marcu and Daniel Dobre

In September 2021, Simona Halep announced the end of her working relationship with Darren Cahill and rehired Adrian Marcu and Daniel Dobre back to her team.

September 2021: Marriage to Gabriel Iuruc

On 15 September 2021, Simona Halep married businessman Gabriel Iuruc.

2021: Injury and Quarterfinal Appearances in 2021

In 2021, Halep started at Gippsland, where she was defeated in the quarterfinals. At the Australian Open, she also reached the quarterfinals. She withdrew from the Miami Open due to a shoulder injury and lost in the semifinals in April at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

2021: Return from injury in 2021

In 2021, after returning from a calf injury, Halep entered the Canadian Open, losing to Danielle Collins. She won her first match since the injury at the Western & Southern Open. At the US Open, she reached the round of 16. She finished the season at No. 20.

March 2022: Disqualification requested from March 8, 2022

In 2023, The International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) asked for disqualification of Halep's results from 8 March 2022, when blood Sample 44 was collected, to 7 October 2022, the start of Halep's Provisional Suspension.

May 2022: Hired Patrick Mouratoglou

In May 2022, after a 4th round loss at the Australian Open and inconsistent results, Simona Halep hired Patrick Mouratoglou as coach.

September 2022: Divorce Announcement

In September 2022, Simona Halep announced that she is divorcing Gabriel Iuruc.

September 2022: Nose Surgery

In September 2022, Simona Halep underwent nose surgery to correct breathing problems and reshape her nose.

October 2022: Doping Allegations

In October 2022, it was announced that Halep had tested positive for the banned substance roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. Inconsistencies were also found in her biological passport.

October 2022: Suspended from the WTA Tour in October 2022

Simona Halep was suspended from the WTA Tour in October 2022 after testing positive for a banned substance.

2022: Injury and Season End in 2022

In 2022, Halep withdrew from her second round match at the Cincinnati Open due to a thigh injury. At the US Open, she was defeated in the first round. After the US Open, she announced she would not play for the rest of the year after undergoing nose surgery.

2022: 23rd Title and Coaching Change in 2022

In 2022, Halep won her 23rd title at the Melbourne Summer Set 1. At the Australian Open, she lost in the fourth round. She reached the semifinals of the Dubai Open and lost in the first round of the Qatar Open. Halep then announced Patrick Mouratoglou as her full-time coach.

September 2023: Four-Year Ban Announced in September 2023

In September 2023, Halep's suspension was upheld, and she received a four-year ban from tennis, making her ineligible to return to competition until 7 October 2026.

February 7, 2024: Appeal to CAS

On February 7, 2024, Halep appealed the four-year ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

February 2024: Ban reduced and returned to the tour in February 2024

In February 2024, Simona Halep's ban was reduced, and she returned to the tour at the 2024 Miami Open.

2025: Retired from the sport in 2025

Simona Halep retired from professional tennis in 2025.

October 2026: Ineligible to return until October 7, 2026

In September 2023, Halep's suspension was upheld, and she received a four-year ban from tennis, making her ineligible to return to competition until 7 October 2026.