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Amnesty-stricken Simona Halep gets wild card for Australian Open qualifiers

Her career was stalled due to doping ban

Dec 18, 2024 12:03 51

Amnesty-stricken Simona Halep gets wild card for Australian Open qualifiers  - 1

Former world number 1 Simona Halep, whose career was stalled due to a doping ban, has been given a "wild card" for the Australian Open qualifiers, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, BTA reported.

The 33-year-old Romanian was provisionally suspended in October 2022. and later banned for four years, a term that was reduced to nine months in March after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Halep, who has denied knowingly taking banned substances, returned to action in Miami in March and last competed on the UTA Tour in Hong Kong, where she lost in the first round in October.

The 2018 Australian Open runner-up said she was excited to return to the country after three years.

"I've been working hard to prepare for the 2025 season," said Halep, a former French Open and Wimbledon champion who is currently ranked No. 877 in the world.

"The Australian Open has provided some of the best moments of my career, so I can't wait to get back to Melbourne and play in front of the Australian fans.“

Bulgaria's second seed Adrian Andreev will participate in the men's qualifiers.