Retiring Wawrinka ‘forever grateful’ to US Open despite no wildcard

Wawrinka ‘grateful’ despite no US Open wildcardImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Stan Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic to win the US Open in 2016ByHarry PooleBBC Sport journalistPublished25 August 2026, 16:48 BSTUpdated 3 minutes agoStan Wawrinka says his US Open triumph will “forever be one of the greatest moments of my life” after missing out on a wildcard for a farewell appearance in New York.The 41-year-old will retire at the end of year and was given a wildcard for this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon, while reaching the French Open main-draw on ranking.He reached the third round in Melbourne and lost a pair of entertaining first-round matches in Paris and Wimbledon respectively.The US Open has received some criticism for its decision not to award a wildcard to 2016 champion Wawrinka, who did not enter qualifying despite being inside the cut-off. BBC Sport has contacted the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for comment.Despite not receiving a wildcard, Wawrinka thanked the US Open and the city of New York in a social media post.”When I first arrived in New York from a small farming village in Switzerland, everything felt too big. The city. The noise. The energy. The crowds. The lights,” the Swiss wrote.”But, year after year, New York slowly became one of my favourite places in the world. “This city challenged me. It pushed me. It brought something out of me that few places ever could.”I experienced some of the strongest emotions of my career here. The battles, the late nights, the incredible atmosphere, the love from the crowd… memories that will stay with me forever.”Winning the US Open, in the city that never sleeps, will forever be one of the greatest moments of my life.”Watson among Britons through in US Open qualifying