JJ Wolf is heading back to the big stage in his hometown.

The 27-year-old Cincinnati Country Day School graduate received a wild card into the Cincinnati Open qualifying round, tournament organizers announced July 31. It will be Wolf's first appearance at a Masters-level event since 2024, after shoulder injuries sidelined him for more than a year.

Wolf, who also attended Ohio State University, once ranked as high as No. 39 in the world in February 2023. He now sits at No. 563. The gap reflects more than a year lost to shoulder rehab, but Wolf has been grinding his way back through the ATP Challenger circuit, competing in events in Bloomfield Hills, Lincoln, and Cary. He won the Vancouver Challenger earlier this year as part of that comeback push.

Before he picked up a racket full-time, Wolf was a multi-sport athlete at Cincinnati Country Day, playing soccer, basketball, and baseball for the school. His Cincinnati roots run deep: his grandfather coached the Cincinnati Royals, the city's former NBA franchise, in the 1960s.

Wolf has yet to win a main draw match at his hometown tournament. He lost in the Round of 64 in 2020, 2022, and 2023, and fell in the opening round of qualifying in his most recent Cincinnati Open appearance, according to Yahoo Sports.

He won't be the only local player with a wild card. Vignesh Gogineni, 22, of Mason also earned a qualifying wild card. Gogineni, a recent Yale University graduate ranked 1,097th in the world, was a three-time All-Ohio selection at Mason High School and won a state singles title as a senior in 2022.

Two Greater Cincinnati natives will compete in the women's main draw. Peyton Stearns, ranked 58th in the world, won the ATX Open in March for her second WTA singles title. Caty McNally, ranked 73rd, won the Charleston Open doubles title in April alongside Desirae Krawczyk.

"I think I kind of got that spark back," Stearns said after her ATX Open victory on March 1. "That's something last year I missed out a little bit."

Qualifying begins August 11 at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason. The tournament's final matches are set for August 23.