After a four-year ban reduced to nine months for an anti-doping violation, tennis pro Simona Halep is making a comeback. Despite a challenging return marked by a knee injury and a 1-4 record, Halep is eager to compete in the 2025 Australian Open,

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep and Lleyton Hewitt's 16-year-old son Cruz Hewitt are among the players who have been awarded wild-card entries for Australian Open qualifying.

Simona Halep and Cruz Hewitt, son of Australian tennis great Lleyton Hewitt, both received wild cards for the Australian Open qualifying event.

Former world number one Simona Halep, who returned from a doping ban this year, receives a wildcard for Australian Open qualifying.

A two-time Grand Slam champion, Simona Halep was a former world No.1 and had reached the Australian Open final in 2018. She is currently ranked at 877th.

Simona Halep and Cruz Hewitt receive wild-card entries for Australian Open qualifying. Halep, a former top-ranked player and Grand Slam champion, makes her return after a doping suspension. Cruz, son of tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt,

2018 finalist Simona Halep has been awarded a qualifying wild card for the 2025 Australian Open, the tournament announced on Wednesday.

The Hewitt name is back in the mix for an Australian Open with tennis legend Lleyton’s son Cruz handed a qualifying wildcard for the Grand Slam tournament.

But all eyes will be on Cruz Hewitt and whether the son of Australia's Davis Cup captain and two-time major winner can follow in the footsteps of his legendary dad. Cruz has only just turned 16 and will attempt to reach the main draw at the Australian Open for the first time in his burgeoning career - 28 years after Lleyton debuted at Melbourne Park as a 15-year-old.

Former world number one Simona Halep, whose career stalled due to a doping ban that was reduced on appeal this year, will step up her comeback at the Australian Open after receiving a wildcard for the qualifying tournament on Wednesday.