Sorana Cîrstea’s final tennis season and the right moment to retire from sports
ROME — Tennis retirements are often painful. Whether it was Rafael Nadal’s agonizing final season in 2024, or Andy Murray barely being able to take the court for his last Wimbledon in the same year, there have been numerous reminders of how hard it is to pick the right moment to say goodbye. Mic-drops, like Pete Sampras winning the 2002 U.
S. Open, are rare; Serena and Venus Williams both avoided the word as much as they could, with the latter coming back from a hiatus to play at 45 and the forme
ROME — Tennis retirements are often painful. Whether it was Rafael Nadal ’s agonizing final season in 2024, or Andy Murray barely being able to take the court for his last Wimbledon in the same year, there have been numerous reminders of how hard it is to pick the right moment to say goodbye. Mic-drops, like Pete Sampras winning the 2002 U.
S. Open, are rare; Serena and Venus Williams both avoided the word as much as they could, with the latter coming back from a hiatus to play at 45 and the former causing intrigue about whether she will, too. This year, Stan Wawrinka and Gaël Monfils are in the middle of their farewell tours, and a third-round Australian Open run for Wawrinka aside, neither have made a major impact.
Going out at the right time is almost impossible for a sportsperson, given the heft of a decision that has prompted the idea, referred to in Roger Federer ’s “Twelve Final Days” documentary, that “athletes die twice. ” Sorana Cîrstea is very much alive. The 36-year-old from Romania is having the time of her life in her valedictory season.
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