Sorana Cirstea's Reflection Before Retiring: "I Wish I Had Enjoyed It More"

In a career that started in 2006 and ends twenty years later, it’s normal to find chapters of all kinds. Good moments and not-so-good ones. Close decisions and others that failed. Sorana Cirstea is almost touching the finish line with her fingertips, although she is still an active player.

And how few female tennis players can say they ended their professional careers at the level of the Romanian. At 36 years old, in the best ranking of her career and having enjoyed each tournament, each match, each last time, like never before. Sorana perfectly explains this in an interview conducted by another former player, Alison Riske, in a talk shared by the official WTA channel. With only a couple of stops left ahead, Cirstea reveals some secrets of this long journey.

“When I was 17 years old, success for me was being number one and winning many Grand Slams,” the Romanian begins, showing what she was like in the past, where every defeat seemed like the end of the world. Two decades later, her advice to that young girl would be very different and very simple: to enjoy more. “It’s a very long career, but at the same time, it all goes by quickly. I wish I could have enjoyed more at the beginning,” she adds. A reflection that summarizes the learning of a player who has experienced enough tennis to know that results don’t tell the whole story.

Injuries, her parents, and the dream fulfilled at home

In that journey, her parents play a fundamental role. Cirstea started playing tennis at the age of four and remembers how her family did everything possible to help her pursue her dream. “I would say they sacrificed their lives so I could be here,” she confessed, grateful for a support without which she wouldn’t have reached where she has. There were also moments when continuing no longer felt certain. After Wimbledon 2024, for example, she spent six months suffering from a pain that almost prevented her from walking. She had to undergo surgery if she wanted to keep competing, although she didn’t need that operation to lead a normal life. The experience changed her perspective; she learned to set small goals, overcome them, and find satisfaction in the process.

“Success is also doing what you love, getting up every day eager to face your day and try to do something better than yesterday,” the Romanian summarizes with maturity. This evolution is especially noticeable when she talks about defeats. At 17, after losing a semifinal in Luxembourg against Dementieva – top 10 back then – Sorana didn’t want to leave her room for two days. Now she finds reasons to smile even in a good practice or a pleasant day with her team. “Happiness is in moving excitedly from one small thing to another,” she explained.

Cirstea’s victory that closes the circle

Fortunately, there is an image that summarizes her entire career. We are talking about the trophy won in Romania last February, one of her great dreams. That week exceeded all her expectations. “If I had to retire the following Monday, I would have been at peace,” Sorana surprised about that final where she defeated Raducanu to lift her sixth individual trophy. This victory helps her feel proud of the person tennis has turned her into, an experience that, as she acknowledges, taught her to be a good person.

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Retirement is still present, but she doesn’t want to rush. “I am enjoying every day to the fullest; for me, it’s very important to know when to stop and that it be on my own terms, so I will continue as long as I am happy.” After twenty years of pursuing goals, perhaps her most important victory is precisely knowing when to stop pursuing them.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La reflexión de Sorana Cirstea antes de retirarse: "Ojalá hubiera disfrutado más"