Stan Wawrinka denied US Open wildcard in farewell season

Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam champion and 2016 US Open winner, has been denied a wildcard for the 2026 US Open. The 41-year-old Swiss veteran is currently in his final professional season and had publicly expressed his hope to play at Flushing Meadows one last time.

Because his ranking is outside the top 120, Wawrinka was ineligible for direct entry and did not enter the qualifying draw, making a wildcard his only viable path to the main draw. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) instead distributed the remaining men's wildcards to American players, including Patrick Kypson, Darwin Blanch, Michael Zheng, J.J. Wolf, Sebastian Gorzny, and Jack Kennedy, as well as Gaël Monfils through a reciprocal agreement.

The decision has sparked significant backlash from fans and tennis journalists on social media, with many calling the snub ‘shameful’ and ‘ridiculous,’ particularly noting that Monfils, who is also in his final season, received an invitation while Wawrinka did not.