Simona Halep and Lleyton Hewitt’s son both handed wildcards for Australian Open qualifying

Former world No.1 Simona Halep, whose profession stalled owed to a doping prohibition that was reduced connected entreaty this year, will measurement up her comeback astatine the Australian Open aft receiving a wildcard for the qualifying tourney connected Wednesday.

The 33-year-old was provisionally suspended successful October 2022 and later banned for 4 years, a play which was trim to 9 months successful March pursuing an entreaty astatine the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Halep, who has denied knowingly taking the banned supplier roxadustat, returned to action successful Miami successful March and past competed connected the WTA Tour successful Hong Kong, wherever she mislaid successful the first information successful October.

The 2018 Australian Open runner-up said she was excited to return to the state aft 3 years.

“I person been moving difficult to get fresh for the 2025 season,” said Halep, a erstwhile French Open and Wimbledon champion who is presently classed 877th successful the world.

“The Australian Open has provided maine pinch immoderate of the champion moments successful my career, truthful I can’t hold to beryllium backmost successful Melbourne and playing successful beforehand of the Aussie fans.”

Meanwhile, Australian Cruz Hewitt will look to emulate his begetter Lleyton by making his Grand Slam debut astatine the Australian Open aft organisers handed the 16-year-old a wildcard for the qualifying arena that precedes the Jan. 12-26 major.

The elder Hewitt, a two-times Grand Slam singles champion who besides reached number 1 successful the world rankings, made his awesome debut arsenic a 15-year-old astatine Melbourne Park successful 1997 aft an inspired tally successful the qualifying rounds.