Simona Halep: Decoding her stats at the Australian Open
What's the story
Two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Simona Halep was given a qualifying wild card for the 2025 Australian Open.
The announcement came as the first Grand Slam event of the year finalized its qualifying entry lists.
The news marks a major milestone in Halep's career as she hasn't played in any Grand Slam tournament since March this year.
Here we decode her Australian Open career in stats (women's singles).
Career comeback
Halep's return after doping ban reduction
Halep's return to professional tennis comes after a four-year ban for an anti-doping violation, which was subsequently reduced to nine months following a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
She has always maintained that she never intentionally used the banned substance roxadustat.
Since her reinstatement in March, Halep returned to action in Miami and last played on the WTA Tour in Hong Kong, where she lost in the first round.
Career challenges
Halep's performance and injury struggles post-reinstatement
Since her reinstatement, Halep's performance has been difficult, with a 1-4 record in limited tournament action in 2024. Her comeback attempts were also hindered by a knee injury.
Ranked 877th, Halep has not played in any tournament since 2022.
The last WTA event she played before the Miami Open was the 2022 US Open, where she was knocked out in the opening round.
Anticipation
Halep expresses excitement over Australian Open return
Halep, a 2018 finalist and 2020 semi-finalist at Melbourne Park, said she was excited to return to Australia after three years.
"The thought of returning to Australia after three years is exciting and I'm very grateful to the tournament for this opportunity," she said in a statement released by the tournament.
She said she has been working hard to prepare for the 2025 season.
Journey
Decoding Halep's Australian Open journey
Romania's Halep made her Australian Open debut (main round) in 2011. She faced a third-round exit.
In 2012 and 2013, Halep suffered 1st-round exits. She reached successive quarter-finals thereafter which was again followed by two first-round exits in 2016 and 2017.
In 2018, Halep reached the AO final before losing to Carloline Wozniacki.
She reached the 4th round in 2019 and the semis in 2020. In 2021, she made it to the quarters. In 2022, she suffered a 4th-round exit.
Information
31-12 win-loss record at AO
Halep owns a 31-12 win-loss record at AO. The two-time Grand Slam champion has a 72% win record here in Melbourne. Halep, who is a three-time Slam runners-up, owns a 112-44 win-loss record at majors.