Simona Halep has gotten a little help from the Auckland organizers after being awarded a main draw wildcard into the upcoming ASB Classic.
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Earlier this week, Tennis Australia announced the former world No. 1 as a qualifying wildcard recipient for the Australian Open. Since the Romanian is currently ranked at No. 877 in the world, there is no way for to enter the main-level tournaments directly.
Now, Halep is also guaranteed to play at least one tournament before the Australian Open - the WTA 250 tournament in New Zealand starts on December 30th.
For the two-time Grand Slam champion, it will be her third appearance at the New Zealand tournament and the first one since 2013. In the past, the Romanian had a quarterfinal outing in her 2011 Auckland debut before losing in the round-of-16 two years later.
At the ASB Classic, the 33-year-old will be joined by some other top names, including Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu.
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Halep admitted she needed help and the Auckland organizers came through for her
After losing in the first round of the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong in late October, the former world No. 1 acknowledged that she would need help in form 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 said at the time.
Since Halep is a two-time Grand Slam champion and has been the top-ranked player in the game, the ASB Classic organizers felt it was reasonable to give her a main draw wildcard.
Simona automatically qualifies for an exemption wildcard under her status as a former world No. 1 ranked player. 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," Auckland tournament director Nicolas Lamperin said in a statement.
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If Halep does well in New Zealand, she will get some momentum ahead of the Australian Open but alsocollect some points and instantly improve her ranking.
