Playing in his last year, Stan Wawrinka would have hoped for a nice farewell at his last Slam outing at the US Open. However, as it stands, the Swiss player is not going to New York, as he has not secured a wildcard for this year. The decision not to grant the 2016 champion a wildcard for his last appearance has prompted a veteran tennis insider to slam the US Open.
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“Per team, Wawrinka is ‘totally fit’ and ready. And he is only nine spots out of the main draw,” said John Wertheim on X. “But – short of something like the entire field going to Taco Bell for all-you-can-eat lettuce between now and next week – the chances are slim… “
Wertheim is not far off the mark, as Wawrinka was ranked 118 on July 20, which was the cutoff for the US Open entry list. With injury withdrawals on the men’s draw, the Swiss would have gained direct entry into the main draw if his ranking was anywhere between 107 and 109. However, given the fact that the Swiss was granted a wildcard for two of the Majors this year, it would not have been amiss for Wawrinka’s team to bank on a wildcard at New York.
The US Open had eight main-draw wildcards at its discretion, six of which it gave to home players, while two were reserved for an Australian and a French player, per the reciprocal arrangements with the Australian Open and the French Open. Dane Sweeny and Gael Monfils were the two reciprocal wildcards, with Monfils also playing at his last Major of his career, with 2026 being the last season for the Frenchman.
Another reason why the US Open’s decision is controversial is that Wawrinka is a former champion in Flushing Meadows and someone who has shown their competitive level at a Slam this season. Being a former Slam champion is the type of profile a player would need to secure a wildcard, but the US Open chose to give all of the six wildcards (other than the two reciprocal ones) to home players.
By comparison, the Australian Open gave four wildcards to home players, leaving room for Wawrinka to get one, whereas at Wimbledon, there is no provision for reciprocals, which meant the Swiss had no issue getting a wildcard at SW19.
The only way for Wawrinka to enter the US Open was through the qualifying draw, as the Swiss was well within the ranking stipulations for a qualifier spot. However, given that qualifying would not guarantee a main-draw spot and would mean playing extra matches, one can understand Wawrinka’s decision not to enter qualifying, as Wertheim pointed out.
“note line 72 of qualies….No Stan Wawrinka though”, said Wertheim on X. “His appreciation ceremony and send off will have to be on zoom…”
Wildcards have been a debatable issue in tennis for quite some time now, with Wertheim himself recently proposing a few changes to the existing rules. Fans have also criticized the tournaments for handing out wildcards based solely on name recognition, even if the player was no longer competitive, with the likes of Venus Williams receiving online criticism after losing 14 consecutive singles matches.
Wawrinka still has the ability to sell out show courts, as he showed at the Australian Open, where the John Cain Arena was packed for the Swiss. However, given the current state, one would argue that the US Open failed to capitalize on the opportunity of having Wawrinka on one of their show courts, which would have sold out as a first-round fixture.