The incredible mentality of Sorana Cirstea: "Nadal didn't play matches, he played points"

In 2026, Sorana Cirstea will put an end to her tennis career at the age of 35. The Romanian tennis player, ranked 43 in the WTA rankings, announced this bombshell a few weeks ago and later took part in the Tennis Insider Club podcast, where she talked about various important points revolving around her tennis career. Especially her mindset, which has changed since she took legends like Rafa Nadal as an example to better handle the pressure. Cirstea has participated in 20 tournaments this year, winning the WTA 250 in Cleveland in the singles circuit as her best result and the WTA 1000 in Madrid in the doubles circuit. However, the years weigh the same for everyone, and despite showing competitiveness, she has decided to hang up her racket to focus on other aspects of her life. As for her mindset, it is surprising how she approaches matches. "Look at Nadal. He doesn't play matches, he plays points. He plays each point at 1000% intensity. Sometimes you shouldn't even know the score, you should only play each point to the fullest. Later in my career, I have managed to change that, and playing like that is much more enjoyable. When you step onto the court, you have to fight, no matter what has happened to you that day. I don't always have to play at my best to win; sometimes a seven is more than enough. Cirstea reveals her emotional struggles at 20 Furthermore, Cirstea talked about a key point in her career at the age of 20, when she was on her way to the top and faced the first defeats. "I would have liked to know when I started that my career would last so long. Next year will mark my twentieth year as a professional. At 20, I wish someone had told me, 'Hey, you still have another 15 years ahead, don't be so hard on yourself because this is going to be a rollercoaster'," she confessed. The Romanian player wanted to progress too quickly, something that ended up costing her dearly. "When I reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros and climbed to number 21 in the world, I thought I would quickly break into the top 10. However, I suffered two consecutive first-round defeats, my ranking dropped a bit, and I felt it was the end of the world. It was the first time in my career that I had to deal with that, and I didn't know how to. Plus, the coaches I had at that time also didn't know how to handle me emotionally. Over the years, I have improved a lot in that regard, but it wasn't easy to train me back then." The injury that changed everything for Cirstea Recently, Cirstea has been battling a plantar fasciitis that has prevented her from achieving the desired consistency. However, at the age of 25, she suffered another shoulder injury that completely altered her career. "At 24, I had an incredible year, even reaching the final in Toronto, but my expectations were so high that when that injury hit, I thought, 'Why am I playing?'. That's when I tried to change my mindset and step onto the court without putting so much pressure on myself, taking it step by step." From that moment on, Cirstea was able to enjoy tennis more so that it wouldn't become an obligation, and she managed to feel comfortable despite not having achieved all her goals. "My goal was to be number one and win a Grand Slam; anything else was a failure to me. I haven't done it, and mentally it has been a lot of work to find peace and not see it as a failure. Of course, I have regrets, but I can't change the past, so I have to accept it and be proud." What she is clear about is that in her farewell year she wants to give her 100% and not relax so that her goodbye lives up to the rest of her career. "I still have goals for 2026 and things I want to improve, but I want to finish with pride and my head held high. I don't want to end my career because my ranking isn't good enough to play in major tournaments. I retire, not tennis retires me." Cirstea has not yet spoken her last word and wants a farewell worthy of her career.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La increíble mentalidad de Sorana Cirstea: "Nadal no jugaba partidos, jugaba puntos"