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Three-time WTA champion Sorana Cirstea has announced that the 2026 season will be the last of her career.
Cirstea, who turned pro in 2006, established herself as a WTA player early on in her career and has regularly played in the main-level events. Now, the 35-year-old Romanian wants to play one more year - make it 20 seasons in pro tennis - and call it a career.
Although Cirstea is in her mid-thirties, she was still very much competitive on the Tour this year and posted a 30-20 record. The Romanian tennis star won the WTA 250 tournament in Cleveland, as well as reached the semifinals in Iasi and Osaka. She finished the year ranked at No. 43 in the world.
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Cirstea's retirement announcement
"Next year it will be my 20th year on tour as a professional tennis player. I never expected to compete for such a long time, but the last couple of years have been my happiest on court and they just kept me going. That being said, I have now decided that 2026 will be my last year on tour," the 35-year-old wrote on Instagram.
"When you love something so much, its not easy to say 'good bye.' For now though this is not a farewell, but a 'see you one more time.' I still have lots of things I want to improve, I have goals and ambitions, so I hope to be able to achieve some of them next year and finish this wonderful career on a high note and on my terms."
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Cirstea, who will celebrate her 36th birthday in April, became a WTA champion in Tashkent 17 years ago. The Romanian also won Istanbul in 2021, before collecting her third title this past August.
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On the Grand Slam stage, Cirstea twice made the quarterfinal (2009 French Open and 2023 US Open).
Cirstea achieved a career-high ranking of No. 21 in the world in 2013.
