Simona Halep has been granted a wild-card entry to the main draw of the upcoming Madrid Open, marking her second tournament appearance since her doping suspension was reduced on appeal. The organizers of the clay-court event also extended wild cards to former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, seasoned player Kei Nishikori, and 18-year-old Martín Landaluce on the men's side.
Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion and previous Madrid Open winner in 2016 and 2017, recently made her return to professional tennis at the Miami Open. In her first match after a hiatus of about 1 1/2 years, she faced a defeat against Paula Badosa with a score of 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. The Court of Arbitration for Sport had initially imposed a four-year doping ban on Halep in 2023, which was later reduced to nine months in early March.
