Tennis star, Jaimee Fourlis, is set to compete at the Australian Open 2023 (AO) after she was awarded main draw wildcard in an announcement on January 5.
The 23-year-old Melbourne tennis player will compete in her home Grand Slam alongside tennis player John Millman. The two local players bolster Australia’s representation in the AO main draw to 14 competitors across the men’s and women’s singles events.
“I’m so thankful to Tennis Australia for the opportunity to play in the main draw of my home Slam,” Fourlis said in a statement.
Fourlis returns to the main draw of the AO 2023 for the first time in five years after a successful season where she rose outside the top 300 to a career-high ranking of world No.147.
Aussie stars set to excite at their home Slam🇦🇺
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) January 5, 2023
John Millman and Jaimee Fourlis receive wildcards into Australian Open 2023, bolstering the local singles contingent to 14. #GoAussies | #AusOpen | #AO2023 https://t.co/5OPhgMMMsl
The Greek Australian started the year with a run to the AO 2022 mixed doubles final alongside Jason Kubler, setting the tone for the season that unfolded.
Fourlis reached four International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles finals and won three. One of the biggest of the ITF titles was the 60K event in Brasov, Romania where her performance was the start of a 12-match, 24-set winning streak, boosting her ranking to almost 100 places in three weeks.
This breakthrough comes after a long absence off the court for 18 months, from early 2020 to mid 2021, due to Fourlis undergoing shoulder surgery.
The Australian Open tennis tournament begins January 16 in Melbourne, Victoria.