2016 U.S. Open champion Stan Wawrinka has paid tribute to New York, after his missing out on a wild card ended his hopes of playing one final Grand Slam before retiring at the end of the season.Wawrinka, 41, did not enter this week’s qualifying tournament. He posted a message to Instagram Tuesday, reflecting on his changing relationship with the city and tournament after missing out on a place in the main draw.The U.S. Open is the only Grand Slam not to have offered Wawrinka a wild card during his 2026 farewell season. The 2014 Australian Open champion was invited back to Melbourne, Wimbledon awarded him a place in its main draw and Roland Garros initially gave its 2015 champion a wild card before Lorenzo Musetti’s withdrawal allowed him to enter directly.Wawrinka publicly confirmed last month that he had requested a main-draw wild card and hoped to play at Flushing Meadows for the final time. He announced in December that 2026 would be his final season.
“When I first arrived in New York from a small farming village in Switzerland, everything felt too big,” Wawrinka wrote. “But year after year New York slowly became one of my favorite places in the world.”“Winning the U.S. Open, in the city that never sleeps, will forever be one of the greatest moments of my life,” he added, signing off: “Forever grateful. Forever New York.”
