'I like to dance in the pressure storm,' Jannik Sinner says ... and he did just that in his Australian Open triumph

By Steve Tignor Jan 28, 2024

Australian Open

Simona Halep, Cruz Hewitt given Australian Open qualifying wildcards

The former No. 1 and son of a former No. 1 headline the list of hopefuls.

Published Dec 18, 2024

Advertising

The Australian Open doled out wildcards into its qualifying tournament on Wednesday, with some notable names as recepients.

The women's wildcard that jumps off the page is Simona Halep, the former Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion whose comeback to tennis after a doping violation has been start-stop. Currently ranked 877th, the former No. 1 played just five matches in 2024, her only victory coming at the WTA 125 in Hong Kong, against Anna Blinkova. Before her return to the 2024 Miami Open, Halep's last tournament was the 2022 US Open.

"The thought of returning to Australia after three years is exciting and I'm very grateful to the tournament for this opportunity. I have been working hard to get ready for the 2025 season,” said the 33-year-old. “The Australian Open has provided me with some of the best moments in my career, so I can't wait to be back in Melbourne and playing in front of the Aussie fans.”

Halep reached the Australian Open final in 2018, falling to Caroline Wozniacki, and she's reached the quarterfinal round or better at Melbourne Park four other times.

Halep has reached five Grand Slam finals and won nine WTA 1000 titles.

Advertising

On the men's side, a far-less accomplished player stands out: Cruz Hewitt. You might recognize that last name, though. His father Lleyton is a two-time Grand Slam champion, former No. 1 and Australian tennis icon. He began his Australian Open journey 27 years ago, as a qualifying wildcard.

Now, his son will attempt to do the same.

Cruz, 16 years old and ranked 1,264 on tour, does not have an ATP-level match to his name, but played five ITF and ATP Challenger Tour events in late 2024. He went 4-5 in those matches, with his best win over 616th-ranked Makoto Ochi in Sydney, 6-2, 0-6, 7-6 (4).

Advertising

Other notable qualifying wildcards include:

Alycia Parks, currently ranked 82nd but ranked 103rd before the entry cut-off on December 2
Sara Errani, 2012 Roland Garros finalist
Martina Trevisan, 2022 Roland Garros semifinalist
Viktorija Golubic
Nuria Parrizas Diaz
Christopher Eubanks, 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinalist
Daniel Evans, ranked 21st in the world in August 2023
Cristian Garin
Bernard Tomic

The Australian Open qualifying tournament begins January 9, with 16 men and 16 women to reach the main draw.

Advertising