'Old school' Cirstea tries to stay off her phone, doesn't use ChatGPT

In her final season on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, Sorana Cirstea is playing some of the best tennis of her career.

Just six spots from her career-high ranking, which she achieved 13 years ago, the World No. 27 upset Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday, her first career win over a World No 1.

She followed that up with a 6-2, 6-4 upset of Linda Noskova on Monday to reach the Rome quarterfinals for the first time.

She's now 26-7 on the season, and there are many reasons for her mini resurgence. But using ChatGPT to scout opponents is not one of them.

"I'm a bit old school," Cirstea told reporters after the win over Noskova. "I rely a lot on my coach's analysis. Of course, I look a little bit. I look at videos. It's the job of my coach. ... I do not have ChatGPT. I know some people that use it. Of course, whatever helps them. Everyone [is] free to do whatever works for them."

Cirstea's old-school mentality isn't just limited to artificial intelligence. She's not a big fan of screen time in general, and does her best to avoid it.

"I'm someone that hates to be on the phone," she said. "A lot of times I go out without my phone. I like to read. I like, for example, to have a book in my hand. I like to just live life. For me, I've always been like this. Again, there is nothing wrong with the other way.

"I have a lot of friends that are a little bit addicted to AI and all this. For me it's very important ... the connection, the emotions, everything that makes life wonderful. I don't want to be so attached to something that is artificial intelligence."

Cirstea maintains that despite her brilliant play this season, which included a fourth career WTA title on home soil in Cluj-Napoca, she still intends to retire at season's end. She's enjoying the benefit of feeling very little pressure on her way out, she said, and she feels like she's at the top of her game two decades after first turning pro.

"I do feel physically stronger and smarter on the court," she said when asked about her game earlier in her career. "...I'm a more complete player. I have more solutions. I'm more consistent. I have better weapons."

Cirstea will play unseeded Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Ostapenko leads their head-to-head 4-3, including a three-set win in Rome in 2023, but Cirstea has won their last two matches.