Stan Wawrinka has expressed his gratitude to the US Open despite not receiving a main draw wildcard.
The 2016 champion was due to retire this year and this year’s US Open was supposed to be his last Grand Slam event of his career.
Wawrinka had even flied out to New York with a main draw wildcard to be expected but it never arrived for the 41 year-old.
Instead the wildcard went to Patrick Kypson with Wawrinka not willing to compete in qualifying with his ranking of 127.
However, Wawrinka is not bitter as he is grateful for past memories of his Grand Slam success, “When I first arrived in New York from a small farming village in Switzerland, everything felt too big,” Wawrinka started by saying on Instagram.
“The noise. The energy. The crowds. The lights. But year after year New York slowly became one of my favorite 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 US Open. 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.”
The debate will rage on over Wawrinka’s wildcard ditch but the Swiss continues to be classy as he will retire from tennis at the end of the season.
