Ana Bogdan says Simona Halep 'opened the doors' for every Romanian athlete

Simona Halep's world-famous tennis career had its biggest ripple effect back home in Romania, says her Billie Jean King Cup teammate Ana Bogdan.

In the aftermath of the former world No. 1's announcement of her retirement from tennis on Tuesday, following a first-round loss at the Transylvania Open to Italy's Lucia Bronzetti, Bogdan reflected on the two-time Grand Slam champion's "huge impact" on not just tennis, but Romanian sport.

"I think she opened the doors for all of us," the 32-year-old said on T2's Second Serve Women's Day coverage. "I think she gave us a lot of confidence when she got to the Top 10, and then she won a Grand Slam. She showed us that we can do it. It doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter that you come from a small country."

Read more: Simona Halep, former No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, retires from tennis

Once dubbed by a Romanian journalist as "without a doubt the biggest sports star in Romania," Halep consistently out-performed her 5-foot-6 frame on the WTA tour for more than a decade. Bogdan said that "heart," and the ability to perserve, were the two things about Halep that she felt most spoke to Romanians writ large, just the 65th-most populus country in the world.

"Trust me, we didn't have the great facilities when we started to play tennis, and I think she really showed us to play with the heart, and to really work hard for what we want to achieve," Bogdan added.

Bogdan said she was "grateful" to be by Halep's side for her penultimate match, a 7-6(5), 6-1 loss in the first round of the doubles draw at the WTA 250. Result aside, the world No. 120 said it was an experienced she'd cherish.

"I told her, I wish we did that earlier and we could've played more doubles together," she said. "It was fun, and we had a great time on the court. For me, it's a pleasant memory to have."