Stan Wawrinka, After All, Gets Wild Card Into The U.S. Open

Stan Wawrinka will play the 2026 US Open after all, capping a saga that gripped the tennis world for nearly a week. The 41-year-old Swiss has been awarded a men’s singles wild card into the main draw after American Patrick Kypson withdrew from his own wild-card spot with an injury.

It looked like it was over. Earlier this week, Wawrinka missed out on the tournament’s last remaining wild card,  and the day before the reversal he’d posted what appeared to be a goodbye message to New York and its fans on social media. In it, he reflected on arriving in New York years ago from a small farming village in Switzerland, when everything felt too big — the city, the noise, the crowds, the lights — and how the city slowly became one of his favorite places in the world.

The snub drew criticism from fans given Wawrinka’s résumé: a former world No. 3, the 2016 US Open champion, and a player in his farewell season. Reuters reported the wildcard came after several days of fan outcry over his exclusion.

Then Kypson, ranked No. 115,  pulled out injured, and the USTA handed his spot to Wawrinka instead. “I’m incredibly excited to accept the wild card for the 2026 U.S. Open and look forward to competing in front of the fans in New York once again,” Wawrinka said.

It sets up a fitting final act. The three-time major champion won the 2016 title in Flushing Meadows, famously beating Novak Djokovic in the final,  and this appearance is expected to be his Grand Slam swan song before he retires at season’s end.

One irony didn’t escape notice: journalist Jon Wertheim pointed out that if Wawrinka had entered qualifying instead — as Grigor Dimitrov did — he wouldn’t have been eligible for this wildcard at all.