Australian Open 2025: Former Number One Halep Awarded Qualifying Wildcard

Simona Halep has been awarded a wildcard for next month's Australian Open qualifying rounds. (More Tennis News)

The former world number one returned to the WTA Tour earlier this year, after her four-year ban for two separate doping offences was reduced to nine mo꧃nths by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

However, her comeback was hindered by a knee injury that limited her to just five tour-level ✨matches, with her most recent a first-round de꧙feat in Hong Kong in October.

Halep, who maintained her innocence followin🅷g the charges, has fond memories of Melbourne Park, where she was runner-up to Caroline Wozniacki 💜in 2018.

The two-time major winner - n𒆙ow ranked 877th in the WTA - was also a semi-finalist in 2020, while she has reached a furtℱher three quarter-finals at the season's opening major.

"I have been working hard to get ready for the 2025 season,"♊ the 33-year-old said.

"The Australian Open has provided me with some of the best moments in my career,ܫ so I can't wait to be b🌼ack in Melbourne and playing in front of the Aussie fans."

Halep will be joined in qualifying by C♊ruz Hewitt - son of another former world number one and two-time major champion in Lleyton Hewitt - with the 16-year-old set to mℱake his Grand Slam debut, having also been handed a wildcard.