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.

Novak Djokovic has spoken openly about the “bitterness” he felt after being booed when he retired injured at last year’s Australian Open.

At the 2025 event, the Serbian produced a remarkable quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz. Even with a muscle tear and after dropping the opening set, he found a way to recover and defeat the Spaniard in four sets, a result that moved him into a semi-final meeting with Alexander Zverev.

That effort, however, came at a cost. After a long first set against the German, Djokovic made the decision to stop. The 24-time major winner had already taken the court in Melbourne for the final stage of a campaign that once again showed how much his body had been asked to absorb. As he walked off Rod Laver Arena, the reaction from the crowd was hostile despite his record of 10 Australian Open titles. Djokovic answered with a sarcastic thumbs-up.

The episode carried added weight because of what had happened three years earlier. In 2022, he was deported from Australia after losing a court bid to remain in the country for the tournament in Melbourne. The government cancelled his visa on “health and good order” grounds after judges rejected his challenge, linked to his decision not to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

In his new ‘The Wolf in Winter’ documentary, Djokovic described that ruling as “so political”. He later won in 2023, and said the emotion and tension came out in tears. But the difficult reception in 2025 reopened old wounds.

He said in the documentary, “I felt bitterness when I was exiting the court with that atmosphere and people booing. But it is what it is. In some way I understand that people want a match; they’ve paid for the tickets, they want to come and see you perform – I get it.

“I know in my heart if I am able to leave it all out there on the court, particularly aged 37 in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, I would do it because it might be the last semi-final of my career, I don’t know.

“If I feel like it’s not possible to do what I do on the level that is necessary to be able to play five sets potentially then I am not going to do it, as simple as that. I don’t expect all the people to understand that.”

In an interview with 9 News Australia this week, Djokovic said he holds “many more positives” than negatives from his time in Australia. He added that even after the “difficult and challenging” events of 2022, he did not “hold any grudges”, describing the experience as valuable and saying he always looks forward to returning.