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BUCHAREST: Former tennis world No. 1 Simona Halep announced her retirement on Tuesday after her first-round defeat at the WTA Cluj-Napoca tournament in her native Romania.

The 33-year-old lost 6-1, 6-1 to 72nd-ranked Italian Lucia Bronzetti.

“I don’t know if it is with joy or sadness that I speak to you but I made this decision in my soul and conscience, I have always been lucid. My body no longer follows, but today I wanted to play and say my goodbyes on the court,” Halep told the Romanian crowd.

The two-time Grand Slam champion, who had been working to re-establish herself after a doping ban, pulled out of Australian Open qualifying last month citing pain in her knee and shoulder.

Halep returned to tennis in March last year after her career had been on hold since Oct. 7, 2022, after testing positive for roxadustat at the US Open.

The winner of the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon singles titles was then caught up in a second affair, over “irregularities” in the data of her biological passport.

She was handed a four-year ban by the ITIA, but successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), arguing her positive test for roxadustat — used to treat anaemia and banned as a blood doping agent — was the result of a tainted supplement.

She denied knowingly doping and her ban was reduced from four years to nine months.

But she never managed to regain the level that allowed her to rise to the top of the world rankings in October 2017, a position she occupied for a total of 64 weeks in her career.

Halep won 24 WTA titles over her 19-year career including the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019.

She also played in three other Grand Slam finals — the French Open in 2014 and 2017 and the Australian Open in 2018.

DORTMUND: Newly-appointed Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said on Tuesday he would demand “dedication and passion” as he hopes to get the struggling German club back on track.
Dortmund were Champions League finalists in June but have floundered this season and sit 11th in the Bundesliga.
Dortmund sacked previous coach Nuri Sahin in January, just six months after his appointment.
Former Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and Monaco coach Kovac, 53, signed a deal at Dortmund until 2026 on Sunday.
Speaking at his unveiling on Tuesday, Kovac said he would not budge from his disciplinarian style which has won him trophies, but also left noses out of joint at previous clubs.
“We want to work hard because I believe only someone who works will get something in return,” he said.
“I’m a hard worker... everything that me and my family have achieved comes through hard work.
“Titles mean success, but (last year’s Champions League final) is also a success. I see some very, very positive developments.”
Kovac, who has only once served longer than two years in a coaching role, is the latest man tasked with bringing back consistent success since Jurgen Klopp’s seven-year tenure at the club ended in 2015.
Kovac said the short stints were part of “the business of modern football.”
“There are of course exceptions, like Jurgen, whether that was here or in Liverpool,” he said.
“But we are convinced we can chart the right course together.”
Kovac revealed he would live in a hotel until the summer, away from his family, to allow him “to focus fully” on the task at hand.
Despite taking training for the first time on Sunday, Kovac has had a hand in recruitment, including the deadline day signing of Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on loan.
Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken said bringing in the experienced Kovac was needed, with the club’s last two coaches Sahin and Edin Terzic promoted from assistant jobs.
“In our current situation, external input is extremely necessary,” Ricken said.
“In Niko, we’ve found the right person. He stands for success, but has also taken over teams in difficult situations.”