The US Open draw is nearing, and the battle for wildcard places is becoming increasingly important for several well-known players seeking direct entry into the main event.

As happened around Wimbledon this year, a number of former top-ranked players may need a wildcard if they want to avoid the demanding qualifying route at Flushing Meadows.

Stan Wawrinka, Jack Draper, Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios are among those who would require an invitation to appear in the main draw without having to qualify.

Wawrinka, who plans to retire at the end of this season, has already made clear that he wants one final appearance at the tournament. After his last clay-court event ended in Estoril, he said: “I have requested a wildcard for the US Open. I hope to play there for the last time.

“There is also a Challenger in Cancun. If I secure the invitation for New York, I will play that Challenger to get ready. I am only guaranteed to play in the Lyon and Basel tournaments. I will still decide if I play more tournaments.”

The Swiss player appears the strongest candidate to receive a wildcard, especially with retirement approaching. He has already been handed wildcards by the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, which leaves the US Open organisers with the next call to make.

That situation leaves less room for Draper, Dimitrov and Kyrgios. In recent years, the US Open has been reluctant to hand out wildcards to non-US players, aside from the agreement it has with Roland Garros and the Australian Open to reserve one place each for an Australian and a French player.

Last year, the men’s wildcards went to Brandon Holt, Nishesh Basavareddy, Tristan Boyer, Emilio Nava, Stefan Dostanic and Darwin Blanch.

With Wawrinka expected to take one of the available spots, the chances of Draper, Dimitrov or Kyrgios being chosen look slim.

Draper appears to have anticipated that outcome by scheduling a Challenger event before the American major. He is set to play the Brownsburg Challenger in the same week as the Canadian Open, a move that could offer useful preparation for US Open qualifying.

Against that backdrop, Draper could face opposition similar to what he would meet in Grand Slam qualifying, giving him valuable work before the tournament begins.

The tennis schedule is moving back into focus after a quiet spell since Wimbledon, and the Washington Open is first up as the North American hardcourt swing gets underway.

The ATP 500 event is often treated as a launch pad for the bigger events that follow. Over the next six weeks, players will look ahead to the Canadian Open, the Cincinnati Open, and the US Open, which is why Washington regularly draws a strong field.

This year, though, the picture is different. Only two players from the top 10 are set to compete in the US capital: Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz. That limited elite presence comes after Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev withdrew just three days before the tournament was due to begin.

They are the only main-draw withdrawals listed so far, but qualifying has also lost several notable names. Mattia Bellucci, Arthur Fery, Luca Van Assche, Adam Walton, and Eliot Spizzirri are all confirmed absentees.

Fery is the most eye-catching withdrawal among them after his memorable run to the Wimbledon semi finals at his home Grand Slam. Even so, he had already indicated that Washington was not part of his main North American plan. “Cincinnati, Winston-Salem and the US Open, they’re pretty much locked in,” said the British star when asked which tournaments he would be playing on the North American hardcourt swing.

He also spoke about the US Open seeding picture, saying, “I might already be in there [the top 32] if I’m lucky, a few withdrawals,” he said. “I don’t think I will be able to contribute to the ranking anymore before the list comes out for the US Open, because it’s going to come out soon.

“Being seeded obviously protects you a little bit from the top guys, but it’s my first main draw that I qualify for directly with my ranking so just going to take it as it goes.”

With so few top-ranked players in the draw, the Washington Open could still offer a breakthrough moment for someone lower down the list. The entry sheet also includes Lorenzo Musetti, Learner Tien, Jakub Mensik, Frances Tiafoe, Arthur Fils, Tommy Paul, Rafael Jodar, Arthur Rinderknech, Ugo Humbert, Brandon Nakashima, Tomas Etcheverry, Alejandro Tabilo, Matteo Arnaldi, Zizou Bergs, Adrian Mannarino, Kamil Majchrzak, Alex Michelsen, Tallon Griekspoor, Ethan Quinn, Terence Atmane, and wildcard entries Ben Shelton, Jack Draper, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Kei Nishikori.

Among the names to watch, Rafael Jodar will be aiming for his first hardcourt title, while Jack Draper is hoping to show the US Open that he deserves a wildcard. Arthur Fils, Tommy Paul, and Learner Tien, meanwhile, will be trying to extend the strong form they have shown throughout 2026.

Brad Gilbert has offered a simple explanation for the recent wave of coaching changes across the men’s game as the North American hard court swing approaches.

Within just a few days at Wimbledon, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev ended their working relationships with their coaches. Auger-Aliassime closed a near 10-year partnership with Frederic Fontang, while Medvedev moved on from Thomas Johansson after almost a year together. Around the same time, Jiri Lehecka and Michal Navratil also split after eight years.

Although the players are at different points in their careers, Gilbert believes the common goal is the same: Grand Slam success. The former coach of Andre Agassi said the spread at the top of the men’s game is pushing players to make changes in pursuit of improvement.

He said on the Tennis Channel, “Right now there is a massive difference in women’s 1-20 and men’s 1-20. I feel like that’s why we have seven different winners in the last seven majors.

“In the men’s, the guys at the top have massively separated, and I think that is what is forcing decisions on players who go, ‘I need to add something asap or I am going to go further back’.”

Gilbert pointed to the ranking gap between the leading men, with Jannik Sinner on 13,450 points, Alexander Zverev second on 8,480 and Carlos Alcaraz third on 8,160 despite being sidelined since mid-April. He contrasted that with the WTA picture, where Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula are much closer together.

He also noted that Sinner is more than 11,000 points ahead of 20th-ranked Francisco Cerundolo, while Sabalenka is roughly 6,500 points clear of world No 20 Anna Kalinskaya.

Medvedev has beaten Alcaraz in Indian Wells this year and pushed Sinner close at the same event. Auger-Aliassime is ranked fourth and continues to reach the second week of majors, while Lehecka sits just outside the top 10. Even so, Gilbert suggested the coaching moves show ambition rather than comfort.

He added, “I’ve heard this so much in coaching. Why does a top player need a coach?

“And I am like, because they obviously want to get better. If you don’t have a coach, you are not thinking that you can get better.”

Former world No 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas also changed direction in late June when he split from his father Apostolos after years of working on and off together.