Stan Wawrinka, the 41-year-old Swiss three-time Grand Slam champion including the 2016 US Open, was initially excluded from the 2026 US Open wildcard list despite receiving wildcards to this year's Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon [1, 2, 3]. His omission sparked widespread fan outcry and debate on the wildcard selection process at Grand Slam tournaments [4, 5, 6].
After this backlash, US Open organizers reversed course and granted Wawrinka a wildcard into the men's singles main draw [4, 5, 6]. Wawrinka, ranked 127 in the world, had not entered the qualifying tournament [1, 2, 3]. His coach Magnus Norman said they "pushed to play one last Grand Slam at 41 years of age but just came up short," expressing disappointment over the initial exclusion [1].
Wawrinka posted emotional messages on social media, expressing his long-standing bond with New York and the US Open. "When I first arrived in New York from a small farming village in Switzerland, everything felt too big... Winning the US Open, in the city that never sleeps, will forever be one of the greatest moments of my life," he wrote [1, 2]. He added, "I'm incredibly excited to accept the wildcard for the 2026 US Open and look forward to competing in front of the fans in New York once again" [4].
Fellow veteran Gael Monfils, ranked 307 and also retiring this season, received a reciprocal wildcard entry to the US Open men's draw despite his lower ranking [2, 3]. Venus Williams was also awarded a wildcard for the women's singles [2, 3].
The 2026 US Open men’s and women’s singles main draw begins Sunday, August 30, in New York [2, 3]. Wawrinka’s late wildcard secures his chance to compete in what could be one of his final Grand Slam appearances.
