Simona Halep to join Emma Raducanu after getting another wildcard following drugs ban

Simona Halep will join Emma Raducanu in Auckland at the beginning of the 2025 season. The former world No. 1 has received a wildcard into the ASB Classic, a WTA 250 event beginning on December 30. Halep has barely played since her doping ban was reduced, allowing her to return to competition in March. But she is now building her 2025 schedule.

The two-time Grand Slam champion had already been offered a wildcard into the qualifying draw of the Australian Open. It was the first Major tournament to offer her an olive branch after her four-year doping ban was slashed to nine months. More doors have now been opened to Halep, as she will start her season in New Zealand. “Simona automatically qualifies for an exemption wildcard under her status as a former world No. 1 ranked player,” ASB Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin said.

“Now she faces a long road to return to the sport, and we will do our best to ensure she enjoys her experience back in Auckland, both on and off the court.” The 33-year-old joins several other Grand Slam champions in the field, including Naomi Osaka and Raducanu, who will be making her third appearance in Auckland. The Brit enjoys competing in the ASB Classic and started planning her return during Wimbledon. Raducanu’s team held talks with tournament officials while the grass-court Grand Slam was taking place.

Lamperin later said it was an “investment” to get Raducanu to compete, adding: “But it’s worth it.” Halep, the former world No. 1, will be keen to take up any wildcards she can to try to regain her ranking following her ban. The Romanian was provisionally suspended in 2022 after testing positive for the banned substance roxadustat. She was handed a four-year ban after an independent tribunal hearing in 2023 relating to the positive test and irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport.

But Halep successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that the roxadustat came from a contaminated supplement. CAS threw out the ABP charge and concluded that she bore “no significant fault or negligence” for the positive test, reducing her ban to nine months. She was immediately allowed to return to competition as a result. However, Halep has struggled with injuries since, and her ranking has not allowed her to enter tournaments. She has played four events in 2024, getting her only win over Arina Rodionova at the Hong Kong WTA 125.

But she will try to turn things around in 2025, joining the packed field in Auckland before attempting to qualify for the Australian Open.