On December 6, WTA World No. 43 Sorana Cirstea announced her retirement from tennis. She shared the news on Instagram, writing, “I love tennis…I love the discipline, the routines, the hard work. The competition and the adrenaline fuel my soul. But like everything in life, it must come to an end.” After two decades on tour, the Romanian star is now reflecting on it all. Are there any regrets?

Speaking on the Tennis Insider Club podcast the next day, Cirstea opened up about the journey behind the headlines. She spoke of growing up with tennis as a “job” from age 4, not reaching the ranking or titles she dreamed of, and the mental wear and tear caused by pain, pressure, and perfectionism. The conversation was raw, honest, and deeply personal.

“I don’t believe those people who say I don’t have regrets,” Sorana Cirstea admitted. “I have many regrets. I think I could have been more disciplined. I think I could have listened better. There are many, many things that I could have done better. But I made peace with those. I cannot change the past, but what I can change is the present.”

She added, “Either I can dwell on it and be frustrated that I was not number one, that I didn’t win Grand Slams, and feel like a failure, or I can focus on today and give my hundred percent today, my hundred percent tomorrow, and my hundred percent the day after, and we will see where this will get me. Making peace with myself to not be so much result-oriented. Focus on the joy, focus on the things you can control.” The 35-year-old Romanian now plans to close out her career with the 2026 season, her 20th on tour, marking the end of an era.

There’s a lot to remember. Cirstea burst onto the scene in 2006, turned pro, and reached her first WTA final in Budapest the very next year. In 2008, she captured her maiden title in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, defeating Sabine Lisicki along the way. By year’s end, the fiery 18-year-old climbed to No. 36 in singles, finishing as Romania’s top player.

Her breakthrough came at Roland Garros in 2009, where she blazed into the quarterfinals with wins over No. 21 seed Alize Cornet, No. 10 seed Caroline Wozniacki, and No. 5 seed Jelena Jankovic. That stunning run remains one of her career highlights, later matched by her 2023 US Open quarterfinals, where she shocked Elena Rybakina in one of her greatest upsets. Earlier that same season, she lit up the Miami Open by toppling World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarters, advancing to her second WTA 1000 semifinal.

It hasn’t all been sunshine. This year, her Cleveland victory was stolen from her hotel room before the US Open, and injuries have repeatedly slowed her progress. But speaking of injury holding her back. Could that be one reason she’s throwing in the towel?

Why did Sorana Cirstea pick 2026 as her final season

Last year, during her strong run in Dubai early in 2024, a familiar pain flickered in her foot. What she thought was simple inflammation turned into a stubborn case of plantar fasciitis. “It wasn’t getting better. It was getting worse and worse,” she recalled. “By the time I got to clay, it was constant pain every single day.”

Eventually, the pain pushed her to undergo surgery and step away from the game for six months. The break became her reset, a window to figure out if she still loved competing. The answer came easily: yes. She wanted to feel the adrenaline again and leave on her own terms. “I want to end it with dignity, walking out the front door of the sport with my head held high,” she said. “I don’t want tennis kicking me out and saying, ‘You’re not useful anymore.’” With that, she decided 2026 would be her last year on tour.

And what a year she had before that decision. In 2025, Cirstea found her spark again, winning her third WTA singles crown in Cleveland as a qualifier, beating Liudmila Samsonova in the final for her first singles title since 2021. She also lifted her biggest doubles trophy at the WTA 1000 Madrid with Anna Kalinskaya, her sixth career doubles win. She wrapped up the season at No. 43 in singles, with around 30 wins and 20 losses, marking her tenth straight year in the Top 100.

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The Grand Slams didn’t go her way, with early exits in Melbourne and New York, but that hardly slowed her momentum. Now, just weeks before the 2026 season begins, one question lingers: Will Sorana Cirstea be ready to dive into her 20th season and sign off in style? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!