Stan Wawrinka is in the final year of his ATP Tour career, yet the US Open still has not handed him a wildcard. That remains the notable gap in a season that has otherwise brought the Swiss veteran plenty of late-career recognition.

Wawrinka has already confirmed that he will retire at the end of the 2026 season, and major tournaments have responded by granting him several wildcard entries. He has featured at all three Grand Slams this year, along with the Italian Open, the Monte Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open, and the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The US Open, however, has not yet followed that pattern. Even so, the picture has changed after the latest withdrawals from Flushing Meadows. Ethan Quinn and Gabriel Diallo have both pulled out, and their departures have created room for Martin Damm Jr and Wu Yibing to move into the main draw.

That development matters because Damm Jr had been holding a wildcard for this year’s US Open. With his place now taken in the main draw, a wildcard could become available for a player still seeking direct access, including one of the tournament’s veterans.

Before Damm Jr’s move, only one wildcard remained, with Grigor Dimitrov and Wawrinka still waiting. There are now two, which strengthens Wawrinka’s prospects of appearing at what would be his final US Open.

Wawrinka and Dimitrov both received Wimbledon wildcards earlier this year, but their results diverged on grass. Wawrinka fell in the opening round after being drawn against Matteo Berrettini, while Dimitrov advanced to the fourth round. The Bulgarian beat Dane Sweeny, Jakub Mensik, and Berrettini before losing to wildcard Arthur Fery in the round of 16.

If Wawrinka is handed the wildcard, the three-time Grand Slam champion will get one last shot at the tournament he won in 2016, when he lifted the US Open title after defeating Juan Martin del Potro, Kei Nishikori, and Novak Djokovic.

Jannik Sinner has ruled himself out of this year’s US Open after deciding his right knee still needs more time to recover. The world No. 1 said the choice was made after recent work with his team and medical staff, following practice in Monte Carlo over the past few days.

In a statement posted on social media, Sinner said: “Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year.

“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.

“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”

The withdrawal arrives one day after Carlos Alcaraz confirmed his return for the Grand Slam, adding to the disappointment around the event. Alcaraz and Sinner have not appeared together in a Grand Slam since the Australian Open, where Alcaraz won the title and Sinner exited in the semi finals.

Sinner now loses a substantial haul of ranking points. He reached the final of the 2025 US Open, where he lost to Alcaraz, so he was defending 1300 points. That leaves him on 11,500 points, which still keeps him well clear at No. 1.

There is, however, a chance that Alexander Zverev can trim the gap if he wins the tournament. The German is on 7790 points and is defending only third round points from last year. He will be the top seed alongside Alcaraz.

Sinner’s next expected event after the US Open is the China Open, which starts on September 28th. He won that ATP 500 event last year by beating Learner Tien in the final, so 500 points will be on the line in Beijing.

Andre Agassi has offered a striking assessment of Carlos Alcaraz, saying the Spaniard can resemble Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal “whenever he wants”.

The seven-time major champion made the remark as Alcaraz prepared to return from a wrist injury at this year’s US Open. The Spaniard has not played on the ATP Tour since damaging the wrist at the Barcelona Open in mid-April, and after withdrawing from the Cincinnati Masters, his appearance at Flushing Meadows had seemed uncertain.

That changed when the 23-year-old confirmed he will be in New York in a joint post with Fabrizio Romano, using the journalist’s familiar “Here we go” line. On X, Alcaraz repeated those three words, adding an American flag emoji and a plane.

There are still questions around the field in New York. Defending champion Alcaraz is set to return, but it remains to be seen whether five-time Grand Slam winner Jannik Sinner will play after pulling out of Cincinnati with a knee injury. Djokovic also arrives with uncertainty hanging over him after losing his opening match at the final Masters 1000 event before the US Open.

Alcaraz’s talent, though, is not in doubt. In Djokovic’s ‘The Wolf in Winter’ documentary, attention turned to the Spaniard’s contest with the Serbian at the 2025 Australian Open. Djokovic lost the first set, dealt with a muscle tear, and still fought back for a memorable four-set win.

Even in defeat, Alcaraz left an impression on Agassi. The eight-time major winner said in Djokovic’s documentary, “Novak, Roger, and Rafa played this game all so differently and all so great in their own way. And now you see players, specifically Alcaraz, that plays like all three of them whenever he wants. The game does get better.”

Alcaraz is widely admired for his variety, echoing Federer, and for his speed and flexibility, qualities often associated with Nadal and Djokovic. He has already reached milestones that those three had not matched at the same stage of their careers, including winning the career Grand Slam at 22. Whether that places him in eventual all-time great territory will be decided over time.