"It's time for Serena Williams to stop tennis because she has a life ahead" - says Simona Halep

Simona Halep had nothing but great things to say about Serena Williams following her announcement of retirement.

Williams surprised the world a few days ago when she confirmed that the 2022 US Open will be her final tennis event. The legendary player will try to go out on a high note at the grand slam but it's unlikely she will win it or anything like that.

For Halep it's just something that she expected sooner rather than later because it's time for Williams to focus on her life away from tennis:

"Well, it was an honor to play so many matches against her and share the locker room and the court with her. She's always been an inspiration for everybody and for me too. I always said this. I admire her, you know, the power to stay there for so many years, to win so much. She's 40 and she's still fighting for the match. It's unbelievable."

Halep and Williams played twelve times in their career with Halep winning only two times. One of those times was in the 2019 Wimbledon final which was a very painful loss for Williams, perhaps one of the worst losses of her career. In the words of Halep, she will be missed:

"We're going to miss her, but she has many other important things in life to go through. I think it's time to stop tennis because she has a life ahead. She's done unbelievable things in tennis and is going to be the best of them all, forever. Nobody's going to touch the level that she touched. She was the only one who dominated tennis for a few years in a row. I don't think that's going to happen again."