Stan Wawrinka will play at the US Open one more time before he retires after being given a wildcard by the organisers less than a week after they declined to do so.
Wawrinka, who won the New York major in 2016, initially missed out on being given a wildcard after the last two available places were given to American players. He requested one and didn’t enter the qualifying tournament. Wawrinka has played the three other Grand Slams this season via a wildcard.
The move surprised many in the sport and raised questions about the current wildcard system, which includes Australia and France being given one place each under a reciprocal agreement. The six other spots are decided by the USTA, who argue priority should be given to their home players. At the time, there was no comment from the USTA regarding their decision not to give a pass to a former champion.
“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 on Instagram earlier this week.
“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.”
A day after his emotional statement, Wawrinka has now unexpectedly secured a place in the main draw. A spot opened up following the withdrawal of Patrick Kypson due to injury. Kypson was given a pass into his home slam despite only playing two Tour-level matches (both at Wimbledon) since the first week of May due to injury problems.
The fact that it took a last-minute withdrawal for the Swiss former world No.3 to be handed a wildcard does raise eyebrows. Besides his title triumph, Wawrinka has also reached the last eight or better at the US Open on five other occasions during his career. He has played 62 main draw matches at the tournament, winning 46 of them (74% win rate).
Wawrinka will learn who he plays in the first round tomorrow when the draw takes place. First round matches will then get underway on Sunday.
