US Open Fails to Grant Stan Wawrinka Wildcard
Stan Wawrinka will bring the curtain down on his glittering career in a matter of months, but he won’t get the Grand Slam farewell he arguably deserves. After more than two decades in the sport, Wawrinka will sail off into the sunset safe in the knowledge he achieved three brilliant triumphs in Australia in 2014, Paris in 2015, and New York in 2016.
The last of his three major title wins came at the US Open, and nearly 10 years on from that magnificent four-set victory over Novak Djokovic, the 41-year-old has not been invited back to Flushing Meadows for one last hurrah.
US Open organisers confirmed the final list of men’s singles wildcards, and Wawrinka was conspicuous by his absence. The list includes:
| Rank | Player | Age | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Zheng | 22 | Two-time reigning NCAA men’s singles champion | |
| J.J. Wolf | 27 | US Open Wild Card Challenge Winner | |
| Sebastian Gorzny | 22 | American Collegiate Player Wild Card Playoff Winner | |
| Jack Kennedy | 18 | USTA Boys’ 18s National Champion | |
| Gael Monfils | 39 | Awarded via reciprocal agreement with FFT (French Tennis Federation) | |
| Dane Sweeny | 25 | Awarded via reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia | |
| Darwin Blanch | 18 | Reallocated following Martin Damm’s move into main draw | |
| Patrick Kypson | 26 | Current world No. 115 |
There are no hard and strict rules with wildcards. Players born in the country where the Grand Slam is taking place usually make up the vast majority of slots. Then, returning players who have recovered from injury sometimes get a shot, as do soon-to-be retiring stars. Gael Monfils, 39, is one such example.
But Wawrinka, who has three more major wins than the Frenchman, did not. The veteran sits 127th in the ATP Tour rankings, while Monfils is 307th. Incidentally, he would have to have been closer to the top 100 mark to gain direct entry into the main draw.
According to journalist Ben Rothenberg, Wawrinka requested a US Open wildcard but the United States Tennis Association have seemingly declined it. He will not play in qualifying, thus ending his Grand Slam career on a sombre note.
Rothenberg tweeted, “If tennis authorities wanted to prevent this, btw, it would be very easy to make a golf-esque rule that provided exemptions on an entry list for former champions within a certain ranking, in addition to existing wild card allotments. But that hasn’t happened.”
Wawrinka is yet to comment on the situation. But the reaction on social media speaks volumes. The message is loud and clear. Namely, the USTA made a big error in not giving the single-hander a wildcard.
His record on the ATP Tour this season is seven wins and 15 losses. He has also dropped down the Challenger level in search of victories, too. American hero Venus Williams has lost 14 straight matches but the seven-time women’s singles major winner continues to pick up wildcards.
The 46-year-old has won the US Open twice and will be in the first round of the women’s singles. Wawrinka has had less success but why can’t he get to do one last waltz in New York? Hopefully, tournament organisers will look at this and think again.
The US Open has failed to grant Stan Wawrinka a wildcard, despite his three major title wins and a career spanning over two decades. The decision has sparked a reaction on social media, with many calling it an error by the United States Tennis Association.
