Retiring Wawrinka says he is 'forever grateful' to US Open after missing wildcard
Stan Wawrinka said he was "forever grateful" to the US Open and the city of New York after organisers did not award him a wildcard for this year's tournament in New York, the 41-year-old wrote in a social media post on 25 August 2026 as he prepares to retire at the end of the year.
Wawrinka received wildcards earlier this season for the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon, reached the third round in Melbourne and lost entertaining first-round matches in Paris and at Wimbledon. The US Open declined to give him a wildcard despite criticism of that decision and the former world number three did not enter qualifying despite being inside the cut-off. BBC Sport has contacted the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for comment.
Wawrinka is one of the few players to have won Grand Slam singles titles during the era dominated by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, capturing the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open, when he defeated Novak Djokovic. He made his US Open main-draw debut in 2005 and has appeared in the men's singles in New York 17 times.
In his social media message Wawrinka thanked the tournament and the city and reflected on his relationship with New York. The Swiss wrote: "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."
He continued in the same post about the bond he formed with the city and a career highlight: "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."
Wawrinka's coach, Magnus Norman, posted on Instagram about their bid to play one more major together: "We pushed to play one last Grand Slam at 41 years of age but we just came up short. It sure hurts but thanks for all the beautiful memories on and off the court together with you and the team in New York for the past 13 years."
Wildcards are awarded to players who did not qualify for a tournament by ranking, and Wawrinka has fallen outside the top 100 after struggles with injuries and form in recent years. Switzerland does not host a Grand Slam and federations commonly swap reciprocal wildcards; France's Gael Monfils, who is also retiring this season, received a wildcard via the French Tennis Federation, and reciprocal wildcards are assigned by national federations rather than the US Open.
The US Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, 30 August at Flushing Meadows.