Stan Wawrinka will make one last visit to the US Open after a late wildcard offered him an unexpected route into the main draw.

The three-time Grand Slam champion had been set to miss the tournament after the original men’s singles wildcards were allocated and the start of the event was less than 96 hours away. That changed when Patrick Kypson withdrew because of injury, prompting a late call on Wednesday to Wawrinka, who had already returned to Switzerland.

His exclusion from the initial list drew criticism because of his history at the event. Wawrinka won the 2016 title in New York, beating defending champion Novak Djokovic in four sets to claim the third and final Grand Slam trophy of his career.

At his pre-tournament press conference, he made clear how much the return means to him. “Right now, I’m feeling really good,” remarked the former world No 3 during his pre-tournament press conference.

“I’m super happy to be here and very grateful for the wildcard. For me, this is my last year and my last Grand Slam of my career, so of course it will be special when I step onto the court.

“I will feel it, that’s for sure. But I’m very excited and very happy. I’m enjoying having this opportunity to be here one last time.

“Playing this final year is, of course, special, but being able to compete at all four Grand Slams was important to me, and I’m enjoying it a lot.”

Wawrinka also said there were no hard feelings after the original omission. “It was a bit of a roller coaster [to be given the wildcard], of course, because I went back home to New York on Monday night.

“For me, at that moment, it felt like the end of my Grand Slam career. I would have loved to be here, so I had to accept those emotions after not receiving the wildcard, and I was fine with it.

“At the end of the day, I always say that the only way to be sure of playing in a tournament is to have the necessary ranking. I knew I wasn’t directly on the list, so I was hoping for a wildcard, but I also know that wildcards are not guaranteed.

“Not getting one wasn’t a problem for me. I was just sad that I couldn’t say goodbye to New York and the US Open. I received the call on Wednesday night, or Wednesday afternoon, when I was in the Swiss mountains. Of course, I was happy and had to quickly arrange my return.”

Now back in New York, he has resumed practice and will open against Matteo Berrettini on Monday night on the Grandstand. The pair recently met at Wimbledon in a match decided entirely by tie-breaks, with Berrettini winning 6-7(7), 7-6(16), 7-6(7), 7-6(5).

“It will be a very interesting rematch, of course,” he analysed.

“Wimbledon was a tough battle. It was a great match, and I think we both played well. Over four hours, four tie-breaks – it was really special, especially on Court 1.

“In the end, he is a really tough player to face. He’s a great guy and also a good friend, so it will be special to play against him here again.”

Daniil Medvedev believes Carlos Alcaraz’s return to competitive tennis will be more demanding on his body than on the wrist that has kept him out of action.

Alcaraz is set to face Roman Safiullin in the first round, marking his first competitive singles match since April. That inevitably puts the spotlight on the wrist issue that has delayed his comeback, but Medvedev suggested the longer format of a grand slam may be the greater challenge.

“Of course we don’t know the details, right? The injury that he had, but I think if he’s here and he will try to play, it means that he and his team are confident that the injury is not gonna get worsened,” he said.

Medvedev added that the body-wide demands of a best-of-five match could matter more than the wrist itself.

“Because, in my opinion, whatever happened to his wrist, I don’t know exactly, it doesn’t matter if he would play three or five sets, because if it’s not completely healed, he would play seven-six in the third and probably is gonna hurt.

“And I don’t think two extra sets will have a big toll on his body for sure because he didn’t play for a long time, like on the legs, glutes, and stuff like this. But probably on his wrist, not really, because if that’s something that has healed, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.

“But it’s more, as I say, for the whole body as itself. If he has a tough match, it could be interesting. To see how he copes. We should not forget that if he has pain, he could retire any moment.

“So I think it’s really nice for me to see him here to play. If I’m going to have the chance, definitely going to watch his match. He’s playing my friend Roman as well, so it’s going to be interesting for me. And I wish that he doesn’t feel any pain and plays freely.”

Alcaraz said the decision to return was not straightforward. “My team and me, [we] believe that I’m ready. It wasn’t an easy decision,” Alcaraz said. “I just did whatever it took to be ready. I just tried to do everything perfect on and off the court, to feel ready, really long practices, really intense practices- just to see how my wrist is going to react during the practices and after [those] really long days.”

John Isner and Annabel Croft have both leaned away from world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the race for the US Open women’s singles crown, instead naming former champion Coco Gauff as the player to beat.

Sabalenka has arrived in New York after a difficult stretch, with only one semi-final from her last six tournaments, that run coming at the Berlin Open. A year ago, though, she lifted the US Open trophy for a second straight time after defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3) in the final.

This time, the Belarusian begins against Camila Osorio, while Anna Kalinskaya and Iga Swiatek sit elsewhere in her quarter of the draw. Her recent results have also allowed Elena Rybakina to cut into the lead, with the gap now down to 434 points in the live WTA rankings.

Isner, speaking on a recent episode of the Nothing Major podcast, said Gauff should be viewed as the favourite even if the betting markets point elsewhere. He and co-host Steve Johnson both highlighted the American’s form, which includes a run to the semi-finals of the Canadian Open and then a title in Cincinnati two weeks later.

“I really think she is [the favourite],” said Isner about Gauff.

“I think Sabalenka is the betting favourite, but last year Coco went into the US Open with not a lot of confidence and a lot of serve issues. That stuff has seemingly been put to rest right now.

“Her first and second round matches last year in New York were the most tension-filled matches that you could possibly imagine.

“She is coming into this one with a lot more confidence, so for me it is Coco Gauff that is the favourite.”

Johnson echoed that view, stressing the depth of the field while still placing Gauff near the top of it.

“Back in the spring, when Aryna Sabalenka completed the ‘Sunshine Double’ by winning at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, she was just so dominant,” Croft told The Times.

But the former British No 1 said recent defeats had affected Sabalenka’s presence on court, arguing that the aura around her has diminished. Croft also pointed to Gauff’s improved forehand and serve, along with her straight-sets win over Jessica Pegula in the Cincinnati final, as reasons to favour the American in New York.