"Didn't she say players banned due to doping shouldn't get wild cards" - Fans react to Simona Halep's qualifying wildcard for Australian Open 2025
Simona Halep will return to the Grand Slam stage after receiving a qualifying wildcard at the 2025 Australian Open. The move sparked strong reactions from the tennis community, with one fan recalling the Romanian's past comments regarding wildcards for players caught doping.
Simona Halep's career was rocked by the doping scandal after the 2022 US Open. The Romanian fought back her initial four-year ban and returned to the tour last year at the Miami Open. After limited appearances on the tour since her doping scandal, Halep is now eyeing a return to Grand Slams and will have a first crack at competing in the main draw at the Australian Open.
The former World No. 1 was awarded a qualifying wildcard at the 2025 Australian Open. Currently ranked World No. 877, Halep only played two tour-level events last year and failed to win a match in either of them. The qualifying wildcard for the Romanian drew reactions from fans on social media.
One particular fan questioned Halep's decision to accept the wildcard, given her past opposition to them being awarded to players who have tested positive for doping. Halep made the remark after Maria Sharapova was given a wildcard entry at the 2017 Porsche Grand Prix in the immediate aftermath of her doping suspension.
"Didn't she say players who were banned due to doping shouldn't get wild cards? I guess it's hard to expect her to refuse a wild card if it's offered but still," a fan wrote.
Meanwhile, other fans expressed displeasure with the Australian Open's decision regarding Simona Halep's doping history. One fan called out the 33-year-old for taking away an important qualifying-round spot from an emerging player.
"Let’s se how long until the bitching about not getting a wc for the main draw comes," a fan said.
"Why do we insist on giving wildcards to druggy cheats," another fan tweeted.
"Simona should know better than deprive an up and coming player of a wild card," a fan posted on X.
Other fans were happy to see Halep return to the highest level of tennis and even opined that the player of her stature deserved a main draw wildcard. Another fan was skeptical of her chances of making it out of the qualifying stage, given her performances over the past year.
"QualifyingWithIntegrity," a fan wrote on Reddit.
"I'd say she deserves a real wild card but it's just a better-than-nothing case now. Happy for her," another fan commented.
"Based on this year’s results, it’s not even a guarantee that she’ll make it through 3 qualifying rounds," a fan wrote.
Simona Halep is a former Australian Open finalist
Simona Halep will be the highest-profile player in the 2025 Australian Open qualifying rounds. In addition to being the only former World No. 1 in the qualifying draw, Halep will be the only former singles Grand Slam winner. The Romanian is a two-time Grand Slam champion, having won the titles at the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
Given her history at the tournament, Halep would be a favorite to qualify for the main draw at the year's first Grand Slam. The Romanian reached the final of the Australian Open in 2018 and had to settle for the runner-up plate after coming up short against Caroline Wozniacki.
Since 2018, Halep's best performance in Melbourne has been a semifinal finish in 2020. Her last appearance at the tournament came in 2022, and she was shown the exit door by Alize Cornet in the fourth round.