Simona Halep has gotten a bit of assist from the Auckland organizers after being awarded a major draw wildcard into the upcoming ASB Traditional.
Earlier this week, Tennis Australia introduced the previous world No. 1 as a qualifying wildcard recipient for the Australian Open. For the reason that Romanian is presently ranked at No. 877 on the planet, there is no such thing as a method for to enter the main-level tournaments straight.
Now, Halep can also be assured to play not less than one event earlier than the Australian Open – the WTA 250 event in New Zealand begins on December thirtieth.
For the two-time Grand Slam champion, it is going to be her third look on the New Zealand event and the primary one since 2013. Up to now, the Romanian had a quarterfinal outing in her 2011 Auckland debut earlier than dropping within the round-of-16 two years later.
On the ASB Traditional, the 33-year-old will probably be joined by another prime names, together with Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu.
Simona Halep© Simona Halep/X – Truthful Use
Halep admitted she wanted assist and the Auckland organizers got here by way of for her
After dropping within the first spherical of the WTA 250 event in Hong Kong in late October, the previous world No. 1 acknowledged that she would want assist in type of wildcards.
“It depends on the wildcards, but I just want to work harder because I need a stronger body to perform at this level,” she mentioned on the time.
Since Halep is a two-time Grand Slam champion and has been the top-ranked participant within the sport, the ASB Traditional organizers felt it was cheap to offer her a major draw wildcard.
“Simona routinely qualifies for an exemption wildcard underneath her standing as a former world No. 1 ranked participant. Now she faces an extended highway to return to the game, and we are going to do our greatest to make sure she enjoys her expertise again in Auckland, each on and off the courtroom,” Auckland event director Nicolas Lamperin mentioned in an announcement.
If Halep does effectively in New Zealand, she’s going to get some momentum forward of the Australian Open but additionally accumulate some factors and immediately enhance her rating.
