The Romanian was initially not allowed to compete again until October 2026 but that was dropped to nine months in March following a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Halep, who maintained her innocence throughout the process, returned to the WTA Tour in Miami later that month but didn’t play at the French Open, Wimbledon, or the US Open.

However, the outlook for 2025 is beginning to look a bit more rosy for the 33-year-old, who is currently ranked 877 in the world.

READ MORE: Simona Halep says what really surprised her when she returned to tennis after her ban

Simona Halep eyes Australian Open run

On Wednesday, the Australian Open posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the 2018 French Open winner, would be heading to the tournament in January 2025 – a few months on from when Halep won her first WTA Tour match in two years in October.

The tweet states Halep has received a wildcard for Australian Open qualifying, where she will have to win three matches to reach the tournament proper.

The veteran admitted returning to the Australian Open, where she was a runner-up in 2018, after a lengthy gap was “exciting”.

“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.

“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,” Halep told the Australian Open website.

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A difficult 2024 for Simona Halep

Halep returned to tennis at the Miami Open in March, she however lost to former world number two Paula Badosa in three sets.

A few weeks later, she retired mid-match at the WTA 125 in Paris due to a knee injury.

In July, she wrote on Instagram: “For a few months now, I have been struggling with a knee injury. It’s an injury I have never had before and it has been a tough one to manage, with the pain persisting.

“It has been a very difficult period (almost two years) mentally and emotionally for me, and struggling physically on top of that definitely doesn’t help. I have decided to take the time needed to recover properly, rather than training and playing through pain.”

Following a five-month spell on the sidelines, she beat Arina Rodionova in straight sets at the WTA 125 tournament in Hong Kong, before losing in the next round to Anna Blinkova.

Halep will hope for a more successful 2025 campaign.

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