Halep, Wozniacki given wildcards for Madrid

Simona Halep will continue her comeback from a drugs ban in Madrid next month after organisers awarded her a wildcard into the Madrid Open, which begins on April 22.

Halep made her first appearance since her four-year ban was reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sports when she played in the Miami Open last month.

The Romanian expressed her gratitude in a social media post as she continues to build towards her favourite tournament, Roland-Garros.

Another former world No 1, Caroline Wozniacki, will also be in the field for Miami.

Wozniacki had criticised Miami for giving a wildcard to Halep, arguing that those penalised for doping offences should not be given help on their return to the Tour. Halep was banned for four years for two doping offences, a failed test for the banned drug roxadustat, and a separate charge relating to her athlete biological passport.

Halep argued that she had ingested the drug through a contaminated supplement, an argument accepted by CAS, who also dismissed the second charge.

Former world No 4 Kei Nishikori and Martín Landaluce were also included on the initial wildcard list.

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