Stan Wawrinka has released a classy statement reflecting on his US Open career after missing out on a wildcard for the New York major.

The three-time Grand Slam champion will call time on his glittering career on home soil at the Swiss Indoors in Basel in October.

Wawrinka won his third and last Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2016, after he triumphed at the 2015 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open.

The Swiss’ ranking at the time of the 2026 US Open entry list cutoff meant he required a wildcard to gain direct entry into the main draw at Flushing Meadows.

The former world No 3 was given wildcards at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year.

US Open organisers, however, decided not to award one of their wildcards to Wawrinka, which means that the 41-year-old’s Grand Slam career is over.

Many tennis fans have criticised the decision given Wawrinka’s status as a former US Open champion in the final season of his career.

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In a post on his Instagram account, Wawrinka chose to focus on the special memories he has from playing at the US Open.

“When I first arrived in New York from a small farming village in Switzerland, everything felt too big. The city. The noise. The energy. The crowds. The lights,” Wawrinka wrote.

“But year after year New York slowly became one of my favourite places in the world. This city challenged me. It pushed me. It brought something out of me that few places ever could.

“I experienced some of the strongest emotions of my career here. The battles, the late nights, the incredible atmosphere, the love from the crowd…memories that will stay with me forever.

“Winning the US Open, in the city that never sleeps, will forever be one of the greatest moments of my life.

“Thank you, New York. Thank you, @usopen. Thank you to every single fan who supported me, pushed me, believed in me and shared all these emotions with me over the years.

“Forever grateful. Forever New York.”

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