Picture credit score: Rob Stone/@RobStoneTennis
Stan the Man will obtain a correct Flushing Meadows farewell on the tenth anniversary of his US Open title run.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka has been awarded a main-draw singles wild card into the US Open, the USTA introduced.
The choice rights a flawed many tennis followers had expressed when males’s wild playing cards had been initially introduced.
The 41-year-old Wawrinka, proprietor of one of the vital damaging and fluid one-handed backhands in Open Period historical past, replaces American Patrick Kypson, who pulled out with harm, as the ultimate wild-card recipient.
The match initially got here underneath fireplace for denying the 2016 US Open champion a wild card. Nonetheless as males moved into essential draw and Kypson withdrew, it created the opening for Wawrinka, fulfilling the desires of tennis followers around the globe.
“I’m extremely excited to just accept the wild card for the 2026 US Open and sit up for competing in entrance of the followers in New York as soon as once more,” Wawrinka stated in a press release.
The person nicknamed Stanimal, now ranked No. 127, is one among solely three males in historical past to defeat Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal in Grand Slam play, becoming a member of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych in attaining that superior feat.
A decade in the past, a daring Wawrinka, who broke down in tears earlier than the 2016 US Open closing, regained his composure then went out and shocked Novak Djokovic to seize the Flushing Meadows main. The following day, New York Metropolis tabloids celebrated with “Stan the Man” headlines.
Former world No. 3 Wawrinka has 589 profession victories to his credit score, he’s 11 wins in need of a 600th profession win.
The three-time Grand Slam champion stated pure ardour for taking part in is the driving power in his profession which started again in 2002.
“I take pleasure in what I’m doing and luxuriate in waking up and going to observe and nonetheless have the possibility to play at such a pleasant match like right here,” Wawrinka stated. “So long as I’m having fun with that, I’m going to maintain pushing a bit of bit.
“I believe it’s wonderful to be a tennis participant and after I was a child, I dreamed of doing that as a job. I’ve had the possibility to win many trophies, even many large trophies and I had the possibility to attain extra of what I name my dream. I’ll preserve pushing.”
