This is the last season for the former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, and the Swiss would have hoped for one last Grand Slam outing at the US Open. And as it stands, the US Open has now announced all 16 of its allocated men’s and women’s singles main-draw wildcards for the 2026 edition. In the end, though, the last wildcard went to Patrick Kypson, rounding out all eight spots and leaving Wawrinka without one.

Wild-card selections have long been debated in tennis, particularly because Grand Slam organizers have considerable discretion over who receives their invitations. Even though local players are favored for the spots, reciprocal arrangements between the Australian Open, French Open, and the US Open have seen New York grant US Open wildcards to Gael Monfils and Dane Sweeney.

Given that Monfils has been awarded a wildcard for the Open in New York in his last season, it only strengthens Wawrinka’s case, as the Swiss was a former Top 3 player and a past champion at the US Open. Even the 2014 finalist, Kei Nishikori, has received a wildcard for the qualifying event at this year’s US Open. And while Wawrinka has not had many wins this season, the Swiss has been competitive in his losses. His win over Arthur Gea in a four-hour contest showed that the three-time Major champion still had the skill set to win at the biggest of stages.

So fans on social media did not appreciate the US Open’s decision not to include Wawrinka among the wildcards and leveled harsh criticism.

“It’s a shame. All my support to @stanwawrinka. A tennis great,” said a fan.

“Corruption in tennis continues”, said another.

Other fans also had strong emotions, stating, “Disgusting. They should be ashamed of themselves.”

The US Open’s wild card announcements initially looked like they’d close a chapter of speculation: Martin Damm, Michael Zheng, J.J. Wolf, Sebastian Gorzny, Jack Kennedy, Gael Monfils, and Alexei Popyrin were named, with one slot still up for grabs. Then a withdrawal opened a direct path into the main draw for Damm, which fueled speculation that the two remaining wild cards would finally go to Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov.

Instead, the organizers handed the wild card to 18-year-old American Darwin Blanch, while the last available spot went to Patrick Kypson, ranked 115th in the world.

This came despite Wawrinka requesting a wild card for the US Open last month. “I have requested a wild card for the US Open. I hope to play there for the last time,” the 41-year-old said in mid-July.

“Lamentable, the worst Grand Slam of the year,” while another said, “The New York Grand Slam has just ended, they shot themselves in the foot with this decision.”

Lastly, a fan pointed out that Wawrinka was quite a fan favorite and could draw big crowds. It was not wrong, as the Swiss had seen packed arenas, even at the showcourts at the Australian Open and at the French Open. “It’s strange considering that it would have brought quite a bit of public to their matches,” said the fan.

Wawrinka hasn’t played the US Open since 2024, as he sat out the tournament entirely last year. For a lot of fans in New York, that’s meant more than twelve months without a look at him on that court, the same court where he beat Djokovic in 2016 for the biggest title of his career. He’s talked openly about wanting one more run there. Fans feel the same. So, the disappointment and criticism isn’t really about whether Wawrinka was entitled to a spot. It’s that a wildcard is supposed to exist for moments like this one.