Melbourne will be Simona Halep's major launching pad next month.
Former world No. 1 Halep has accepted a wild card into 2025 Australian Open qualifying at Melbourne Park, January 6-9th.
Pegula: Swiatek Case Evokes Faith and Frustration
It will be Halep's first Grand Slam appearance since she suffered a US Open first-round loss to Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur in August of 2022.
The 2018 Australian Open finalist Halep said she's grateful for the wild card and has been training hard for the 2025 season.
"The thought of returning to Australia after three years is exciting and I'm very grateful to the tournament for this opportunity. I have been working hard to get ready for the 2025 season,” Halep said. “The Australian Open has provided me with some of the best moments in my career, so I can't wait to be back in Melbourne and playing in front of the Aussie fans.”
The 33-year-old Romanian reached the round of 16 in her last Australian Open appearance in 2022. Halep contested the AO fourth round or better in her last five Melbourne Park appearances, highlighted by her 2018 final run and 2020 semifinal showing.
Sixteen-year-old Cruz Hewitt, former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt's son, was one of eight Aussie men issued 2025 Australian Open Men's Qualifying wild cards.
Last March, Halep scored a major victory in her appeal of her four-year doping ban. The Court of Arbitration for Sport unanimously ruled Halep's four-year ban is reduced to nine months.
The ruling cleared Halep to return to the pro circuit.
The CAS ruled the two-time Grand Slam champion had "on the balance of probabilities” showed her positive test for a banned substance Roxadustat was unintentional and caused by a contaminated supplement as she claimed.
"Although the CAS Panel found that Ms. Halep did bear some level of fault or negligence for her violations, as she did not exercise sufficient care when using the Keto MCT supplement, it concluded that she bore no significant fault or negligence," the CAS said in its ruling.
Halep, who has spoken out against the ITIA and questioned why the WTA did not grant her protected ranking, is currently ranked No. 877. Halep posted a 1-4 record in her 2024 comeback season that began with a three-set loss to Paula Badosa in Miami and saw a lingering knee injury sideline her for three months last summer.
American Alycia Parks, whose ranking has jumped to No. 82 after she beat Belinda Bencic in the final of the WTA 125 in Angers, France last week, is the top seed in Australian Open women's qualifying.
Explosive server Parks, Viktorija Golubic and Nuria Parrizas Diaz are the three Top-100 ranked women set to compete in AO qualifying
See the complete 2025 Australian Open Women's Qualifying Entry List here.
The top-seeded Halep was six points from her first Grand Slam crown holding a 4-3 lead in the decisive set of the 2018 Australian Open final when Caroline Wozniacki staged a career-defining comeback.
The second-ranked Wozniacki surged through the last three games edging Halep, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, in a pulsating Australian Open final to capture her maiden major in her third Grand Slam final.
On a steamy Saturday night in Melbourne, Wozniacki vanquished Grand Slam ghosts and a gallant Halep in a glorious two hour, 50-minute fight.
In a final featuring current and former world No. 1 players, the pair pushed each other all over the court in a clash of dizzying drama.
When it was done, fans inside Rod Laver Arena shared the love and respect for both women and a spirited battle.
“[It's] not easy to talk now," Halep told the appreciative crowd in Rod Laver Arena after her final defeat. "I want to congratulate Caroline, she played amazing all the tournament. It's unbelievable what you have done. Congrats and good luck in the future."
Halep showed tremendous tenacity and guts saving two match points to edge 2016 champion Angelique Kerber in an epic semifinal thriller that came three rounds after she staved off triple match point subduing Lauren Davis, 4-6, 6-4,15-13 in a three hour, 45-minute classic. But came up short suffering her third Grand Slam final loss.
Halep vowed to fight back from that loss and win a major and achieved her dream capturing the 2018 Roland Garros and 2019 Wimbledon championships.
"Of course, I’m sad I did not win today, but Caroline was better then me," Halep said that night. "For sure I will fight and I have many years to go and hopefully I will face another challenge like today."