Better late than never: Wawrinka will play in the US Open thanks to a released invitation

Stan Wawrinka will compete in the US Open 2026. Today, a controversy that has lasted for weeks came to an end: the Swiss benefited from the withdrawal of Patrick Kypson, one of the recipients of a wildcard, and finally, on the third attempt, the organization granted him that spot to enter the final draw of the last Grand Slam of the year.

Thus, Wawrinka will officially say goodbye to the Grand Slams in the last year of his professional career. He will do so in a place of unforgettable memories, the site where he achieved tennis immortality, where he demonstrated that his Roland Garros final was not a fluke and that he had reached the elite to claim an important place. Here he conquered his third Slam, defeated Djokovic in an unforgettable final... but also, beyond that title, New York has been the place where he has gifted us with unforgettable battles, reaching the semifinals on other occasions and competing against the greatest names in the history of this sport.

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The timeline of a huge mess: this was the process that led Stan Wawrinka to the US Open 2026

The path to find his place in the final draw has been tortuous and leaves a somewhat bittersweet taste. The reason? The organization of the US Open 2026 did not plan to grant a wildcard to the Swiss, neither initially nor after some withdrawals. Days later, Wawrinka confirmed that he and his team had indeed requested an invitation to the tournament to be able to say goodbye on the court, an invitation that the other Grand Slams had granted him (making up for it: he recorded two unforgettable wins in Australia, played an incredible match against Berrettini at Wimbledon, bidding farewell in tears, and where he perhaps underperformed the most was at Roland Garros, with a dull defeat against de Jong). 

At 41 years old, it seemed surprising that the Swiss could not bid farewell to a place that had always given him so much. Still, it was not as surprising as taking a glance at the list of invitations: none of the Americans could generate the media attraction or leave a narrative as powerful as the one Stan could offer, making it even harder to understand the organizers' decision to exclude him.

Stan. The. Man. pic.twitter.com/trFykpFQRK

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2026

Nevertheless, opportunities arose again: the direct entry of Martin Damm Jr after some withdrawals (he had one of the wildcards) opened the sky to the organizers. The decision seemed obvious... and the tournament surprised once more: it decided to grant the wildcard that had been freed up to Patrick Kypson, 26 years old, once again leaving Stan out of the picture. The public's reaction was clear: it was almost impossible to understand and justify such contempt for a player who had elevated the tournament like the Swiss did.

Stan himself even ended up writing a farewell letter from New York, acknowledging that he would not have a place in the final draw and thanking the American public for everything experienced... until today, when the bombshell dropped: Kypson will not play in the tournament due to an injury and, now, on the third attempt, the tournament decided to replace the American with its 2016 champion. After a saga of madness, Wawrinka will finally be present at what will be the last major tournament of his sporting career, a happy ending although with bittersweet tones to a movie-like story. We await you, Stanimal.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Más vale tarde que nunca: Wawrinka jugará el US Open gracias una invitación liberada