FORMER Wimbledon champion Simona Halep revealed “the thought of retiring crosses my mind very often” as she seriously considers hanging up her racquet.

Halep, 33, beat Serena Williams to reign supreme on the grass of the All England Club in 2019 – the year after winning her maiden Grand Slam at the French Open.

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Wimbledon 2019 champ Simona Halep is preparing to retire from tennis aged 33[/caption]

The ex-world No1 racked up 24 career titles and more than £32million in career prize money.

But her career has spiralled downwards rapidly in recent years due to injuries and a drugs ban.

The Romanian appeared to be handed a lifeline going into the 2025 season with a wildcard into the Australian Open.

But she had to withdraw before the tournament started due to knee and shoulder problems.

And it is the former that is giving her thoughts about packing in her pro tennis career for good.

Halep, now way down at No868 in the world rankings, told Golazo: “The knee injury I have is quite serious and difficult to recover from.

“I don’t know if I’m afraid to push myself, but when I feel pain, it’s hard to play at my highest level.

“It’s very difficult to get back to where I was, especially after such a long break.

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“The thought of retiring crosses my mind very often. I’ve reached an age where I have injuries that are hard to recover from.

“My knee won’t heal completely – I was advised to undergo surgery, but it’s a complicated procedure, and I don’t think I will go through with it.”

Halep made her name in 2014 with runs to the last eight of three Grand Slams – including the final at Roland Garros – and was a popular player among stars and fans alike.

After her crowning moments in Paris and Wimbledon, though, she returned a positive test for the banned substance roxadustat at the 2022 US Open before it emerged that there were abnormalities in her biological passport.

The doping news stunned the world of tennis and impacted her reputation for many while Williams took a cheeky dig.

She was initially suspended then slapped with a shock four-year ban – until October 2026 – but this was reduced on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to nine months in March 2024, freeing Halep to make her tennis comeback.

The Bucharest ace has played just five matches since her return, winning her only one in the first round of the WTA 125 Hong Kong Open in October.

Now she is figuring out what the future holds – while reflecting positively on her superb tennis career.

Halep added: “We’ll see what happens next. Life moves forward, and I’ll take things as they come.

“Tennis is not everything in life. I have many desires and goals beyond the sport.

“Everything I have done has been extraordinary… I may not have even dreamed of becoming world No1 and winning two Grand Slam titles.

“I worked hard for it, and I feel fulfilled as a tennis player.

“Now, I want to do something else, not just tennis. The first part of my life was all about tennis, now I want to explore other things.”

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LOVE Island star Samira Mighty reveals that being on Love Island made it hard to launch her music career.

The 29-year-old gave us a glimpse into her music journey ahead of her new song’s release Valentine’s Day.

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Samira Mighty reveals that being on Love Island made it hard to launch her music career[/caption]

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Samira appeared on the fourth season of Love Island in 2019[/caption]

The reality star opened up about the challenges of being taken seriously as an artist after rising to fame on the hit ITV2 dating show in 2018.

Samira was coupled up with Frankie Foster on the show before he was dumped and the reality beauty ended up quitting the villa altogether.

Speaking to The Sun, about her transition from reality TV to singing, Samira said: “ I think it’s been hard in the sense of it’s just a different industry and you have to now gain different fans from Love Island that are still there.

“But, you know I want to get different fans that know me just for my music.

“I will never forget the roots I came from, Love Island because the opportunity is insane but you know, it’d be nice for fans to come up and say, I love your new song which actually they do now.

“So that’s, it’s been great it’s been it’s been a good transition, I think.”

After her stint on the show she participated in The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 as part of the group No Love Lost, alongside fellow Love Island alumni, Eyal Booker, Wes Nelson and Zara Mcdermott.

Mentored by Simon Cowell the group was eventually eliminated in week 3.

Speaking about her time on the show, she said: ” I think X Factor to me was like Love Island. it wasn’t really like a talent show.

“But it was interesting to see the taste of the music industry of what we could get and what we couldn’t.

Speaking on her former band mates, she added: “I speak to Eyal here and there and Wes, he’s so busy he’s doing his music as well.

“So I’d love to get in the studio with Wes actually one time.

“I think that would be a collaboration but you know, it was so long ago, I have to sometimes jog my memory that I did these shows.

After the show Samira continued her journey as a solo artist, releasing her debut EP last year, now she’s dropped her new single Valentines Day.

Samira revealed how she wrote her new track after being ghosted by a fitness influencer, she said: “So last year, around this time, I was dating somebody, if you know me, like that person just was not for me.

“We were dating quite intensely and we had la tiny blip, you know commitment issues, the usual thing of guys.

“Then he said to me, you know what, let’s sort this out “I miss you, let’s go for a walk next week” and from this day, he just disappeared.

“Ghosting is just a crazy thing but it was Valentine’s Day and yeah so I went to the studio and that’s where Valentine’s Day came from.”

Fans can listen to Samira’s new track Valentines Day (I Ain’t Got Time For That) here

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Samira revealed how she wrote her new track after being ghosted by a fitness influencer[/caption]

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Samira also participated in reality talent show The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019[/caption]

AN ICONIC grocery shop that was loved by A-list celebs has officially shut shop after 53 of service.

Partridges has now closed in Chelsea, London, as the owners give one final thanks to the community for their years of support.

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Partridges has been operating in Chelsea, London since 1972[/caption]

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Celebrity chefs, members of Parliament and, the mega-wealthy are said to have frequented the venue[/caption]

The store is known for its gourmet items and international products, and the many high-profile shoppers who have walked through their doors.

In the closure announcement, it was confirmed that Cadogan, a local property manager, would be taking over the space on Sloane Street by the middle of February.

In addition, Cadgoan is expected to take over the market where Partiregd operated on February 8.

Hugh Seaborn, CEO of Cadogan, said: “Partridges has been a cherished Chelsea institution since first opening on Sloane Street in 1972, and it is long-term partners like Partridge’s that we particularly value and support as they help make Chelsea special.

“I am deeply sorry to see them go.

“However, we will continue both the store in a similar format but under a new name, and the hugely popular weekly market in Duke of York Square.

“We aim to build on the Partridges legacy which has contributed so much to Chelsea and the Duke of York Square and wish them all the best for the future.”

The business is transferring out of Chelsea and into Kensington, on Gloucester Road.

John Shepherd, Managing Director of Partridges, added: “We are of course very sad to be leaving Chelsea and are grateful to Cadogan for allowing us the opportunity to develop our creativity in Duke of York Square, especially in supporting us to create a Fine Food Market in Chelsea.

”We would like to thank all of our loyal Chelsea customers for their support, over more than half a century, and we have often served several generations of the same family.

“We will never forget you and could not have possibly done it all without you.”

In an emotional social media post, Shepherd had previously said: “Although the Chelsea chapter is sadly coming to an end we are looking forward in the future to building Partridges in smaller and more sustainable shop formats across London.

“We are very proud to have recently achieved carbon neutrality for both our Chelsea and Gloucester Road shops.

“We have just received the Royal Warrant from King Charles and have tried to support as many local community initiatives as possible, last year donating over £30,000 to local charities and good causes.”

The London landmark has been a prominent name in Sloane Square for more than half a century, having been acknowledged by affluent shoppers since it first opened.

Partridges sells a range of luxury products, from bird’s nest soup, gulls’ eggs and frozen jugged hare, and catches the interest of a range of VIPs.

Celebrity chefs, members of Parliament and, the mega-wealthy are said to have frequented the venue, particularly its delicatessen.

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was said to be a fan of the store and actresses Jane Asher and Sophie Winkleman and also been said to visit.

The weekly Saturday Fine Food Market is hugely popular and attracted the likes of Princess Michael of Kent.

In 2023, the royal acted as a judge in Partridge’s World Chelsea Bun Awards Bake-Off Competition, which garners international attention.

The store’s connection to the royals started when Buckingham Palace placed an order in 1991.

It must have been a success as the shop was offered the royal warrant as grocers to Her Majesty the Queen three years later.

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Sophie Winkleman is an English actress married to Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince Michael of Kent and second cousin of King Charles III[/caption]

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Jane Asher, an actress and author, was said to frequent Partridges[/caption]

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The store is known for its gourmet items and international products[/caption]

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