Stan Wawrinka gets US Open lifeline, late wild card keeps Slam career alive; Serena, Venus Williams reunite

After that apparent goodbye, Stan Wawrinka will get one more chance to walk onto the Flushing Meadows stage.

Stan Wawrinka’s Grand Slam career is not over after all.

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, winner of the 2016 U.S. Open tennis tournament poses with the trophy in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 12, 2016 (REUTERS)

He had applied for a wild card at the US Open, only to be rejected after the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) awarded its final spot to American Patrick Kypson. Wawrinka, in his final year of professional tennis, then said his goodbye to the tournament he won in 2016.

The move did not sit well with the tennis world, with criticism coming from several corners. But the US Open could do little at the time, having already used its final wild-card slot. Then, when an opportunity suddenly presented itself, the organisers did not hesitate to bring Wawrinka back, handing the Swiss veteran a last-minute wild card.

The 41-year-old is no longer ranked high enough to qualify directly for the tournament. He had played two of the three Grand Slams this year as a wild-card entrant and had hoped for the same in New York. That hope appeared to disappear when the USTA awarded its final wild card to Kypson, ranked No. 115.

However, Kypson subsequently withdrew with an injury, opening up the spot for Wawrinka.

There had been criticism of the USTA after it passed over Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion who is playing his final season. He had not entered the US Open qualifying tournament, so the decision appeared to end his final chance of making the main draw.

Wawrinka, though, chose appreciation over anger in his farewell post.

“Thank you, New York. Thank you, @usopen,” Wawrinka wrote, alongside emojis of the Statue of Liberty and a tennis racket. “Thank you to every single fan who supported me, pushed me, believed in me and shared all these emotions with me over the years. Forever grateful. Forever New York.”

Now, after that apparent goodbye, Wawrinka will get one more chance to walk onto the Flushing Meadows stage.

Wawrinka was one of the most accomplished players of the Big Three era. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final and Novak Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final. In 2016, he beat Djokovic again to win his only US Open title.

He was unable to defend the title the following year after undergoing two knee surgeries, and further foot surgeries in 2021 compounded his injury troubles.

Serena and Venus Williams will play doubles together

The Williams sisters will reunite to play the US Open women’s doubles for the first time since 2022, when they lost in the opening round at Flushing Meadows.

That had been expected to be Serena’s final appearance at the US Open, before she returned to competitive action earlier this year. She also featured in the mixed doubles event alongside Carlos Alcaraz, with the pair winning one match before losing in the quarter-finals.

Serena has opted against competing in the singles event, while 46-year-old Venus will enter the singles draw.

The sisters’ reunion adds another nostalgic chapter to a US Open that will also see Wawrinka return after appearing to have said his final goodbye.