NEW DELHI: 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. The 33-year-old was provisionally suspended in October 2022 and later banned for four years, a period which was cut to nine months in March following an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Halep, who has denied knowingly taking the banned drug roxadustat, returned to action in Miami in March and last competed on the WTA 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. Agencies
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