Former world No. 1 Simona Halep has been awarded a wildcard for the Australian Open qualifying tournament.

She returned to action in March last year but spent limited time on court in 2024, last playing in a first-round loss at the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong in October.

“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 Romanian was runner-up at Melbourne Park in 2018, losing in the final to Caroline Wozniacki, and reached the fourth round on her last appearance there, in 2022.

Halep tested positive for the banned substance Roxadustat a few months later following a first-round loss at the US Open, and was given a four-year ban from competition.

She was accused of a second doping offence by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), for irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport, the following May, and a four-year suspension – backdated to the original offence – was handed down in September 2023.

Halep has consistently denied doping and a lengthy legal battle followed, ending with CAS’ decision to reduce her suspension to nine months. The Australian Open will be her first Grand Slam appearance since before her suspension.

She was year-end world No. 1 in 2017 and 2018 but is now ranked 877th in the world.

The qualifying list for the tournament also includes top-100 players Alycia Parks, Viktorija Golubic and Nuria Parrizas Diaz, while on the men’s side, British player Dan Evans, former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks, and Australian former top-20 player Bernard Tomic have all been granted entry.

Up-and-coming talents Luca van Assche, Joao Fonseca, and Learner Tien, who are all in action at this week’s Next Gen ATP Finals, are also on the list.

As many as 24 Australian players will compete in qualifying, including Cruz Hewitt.

The 16-year-old is the son of former champion Lleyton Hewitt, the latter making his first appearance at a Grand Slam at Melbourne Park 27 years ago after coming through qualifying, and later won two majors.

Qualifying runs from January 6-9, with the tournament proper beginning on January 12.