Stan Wawrinka not given wild card for final grand slam in US Open shocker
Stan Wawrinka won’t get one last hurrah in Queens.The former U.S.
Open champion has been denied a wild card for the hard court Grand Slam during what is his last year on the tennis tour.Over the weekend, the U.S.Open announced its finalized men’s singles wild-card list and the 41-year-old was missing.Thus, Wawrinka — a three-time Grand Slam winner — won’t get the sendoff many were expecting.There are no concrete rules with wild cards, yet tournaments traditionally favor native players, returning athletes who have battled back from injury and soon-to-be-retired favorites.Gael Monfils, who is also in his final year, was awarded a wild card.
The 39-year-old is a fan favorite but does not have a Grand Slam title.Additionally, Wawrinka is ranked 125th while Monfils is 305th.If you are in the top 100 you automatically gain entry into the main draw.Tennis reporter and author of “Naomi Osaka” Ben Rothenberg suggested authorities could make a “golf-esque rule” that had exemptions on entry lists for former champions within a particular ranking, if desired to prevent a similar situation.
Wawrinka took home a Grand Slam in three consecutive years — the Australian Open in 2014, French Open in 2015 and U.S.Open in 2016.He hit a career-high world ranking of No.
3 in 2014 after his win in Australia.Wawrinka was only a few matches away from completing the career Grand Slam after he reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2015.If achieved, he would have completed the feat at 30 years old.Nearly 10 years ago the Swiss stood on the Arthur Ashe court and gutted through a four-set victory over a 29-year-old Novak Djokovic, 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in the final.Throughout the year, Wawrinka has had several emotional moments on his farewell tour.Following an opening loss at the Estoril Open in July, he received a special memento of his match footwear/shoes used on the court from the tournament to commemorate his last professional clay-court match.Additionally, fans i...