The US Open suffers last-minute withdrawals and a wildcard opens up: Is there room for Wawrinka?

Carlos Navarro - 21 Aug 2026 | 01:16
stan wawrinka US Open 2026 ATP invitaciones Emilio Nava Ethan Quinn Gabriel Diallo Grigor Dimitrov Kei Nishikori

Important changes in the player list for the New York tournament: several absences have opened up spots for names like Wawrinka or Nishikori to claim an invitation. We analyze it in detail.

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Wawrinka is desperately seeking an invitation to the US Open.

With just over a week until the US Open 2026, the last Grand Slam of the year is undergoing almost daily modifications. It was not a bad day for the event's organizers, securing the presence of Carlos Alcaraz, who promises to be the main star and media attraction. However, they also had to deal with new withdrawals (and there are many) that pose a new puzzle: several invitation spots have opened up for the tournament... and the public is clamoring: they want Stan Wawrinka (mainly) in the final draw of what would be his last Grand Slam.

It would be somewhat cruel, perhaps, to leave to chance the possibility of a champion of this event saying goodbye in the qualifying round. The Swiss is not in the position that he has been in throughout his career, and an invitation seemed well-deserved (and even guaranteed): it was in New York where he became immortal, confirming his place as a multiple Grand Slam champion and delivering a powerful individual performance in an unforgettable final against Novak Djokovic.

Can Stan Wawrinka get a wildcard? Here are the last-minute withdrawals from the US Open 2026

The reason the chances of the Swiss accessing the final draw have increased significantly is due to one of the invitation recipients gaining entry thanks to their ranking. This is the case of Martin Damm Jr, who had obtained the first wildcard for the final draw... but he will not need it: he will enter directly following several withdrawals that occurred in the last hours.

These are withdrawals from mid-tier circuit players, names we haven't seen in recent tournaments and who, despite trying, will not be ready to compete in the last Grand Slam of the year. The last confirmed withdrawals have been from Gabriel Diallo, who got injured at home during the Montreal tournament (he cried on the bench, a sign he knew this might take a while), and Ethan Quinn, who had been on an excellent upward trend at the beginning of the season but has not played a match since Wimbledon (lost in the second round to Mochizuki). Not only are these the last confirmed absences: there is also Emilio Nava, who has not made any announcement on social media or explained the reasons for his absence in recent tournaments, and Alejandro Davidovich, who has not fully recovered from his last back injury.

Which players are in line for the last invitations to the US Open 2026?

Thus, the withdrawals of all these players have allowed names like Benjamin Bonzi, Yibing Wu, Alexei Popyrin, and Martin Damm himself to enter the final draw directly. The case of Popyrin is paradigmatic: he also received an invitation, but it is up to Tennis Australia to choose a substitute (due to the reciprocity agreement that the Australian, American, and French federations have), opting for Dane Sweeny to take his place.

With Damm in the final draw and knowing that there is still one invitation to be determined, the tennis world is already loudly calling for the American tournament to grant one of those wildcards to Stan. What about the other one? Should the organization reward a local player or opt for a star who is nearing the end of his career? Several notable names are vying to join the tournament: Grigor Dimitrov, a semifinalist here who currently should be going through the qualifying rounds; Jack Draper, in the same situation (both received invitations in Cincinnati)... and the seemingly forgotten player in the matter of 'aid': Kei Nishikori, who surpasses both with his records after being a finalist in 2014 and who, like Stan, has announced his retirement this year. Who should receive this invitation? We leave it to you to answer the big question.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El US Open sufre bajas de última hora y se libera una invitación: ¿sitio para Wawrinka?