Stan Wawrinka will play in the US Open after another a wild card opens up for the 2016 champion

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NEW YORK (AP) — Stan Wawrinka will get one final U.S. Open appearance after all.

The 2016 U.S. Open champion was given a wild card Wednesday, a day after he posted what appeared to be a goodbye message to the tournament and the New York fans on social media.

The 41-year-old from Switzerland is no longer ranked high enough to qualify directly for the tournament, and it appeared his chances of playing were over when the U.S. Tennis Association awarded its last wild-card spot to Patrick Kypson, an American who is ranked No. 115.

But the USTA said Kypson has withdrawn with an injury and it gave his place to Wawrinka.

“I’m incredibly excited to accept the wild card for the 2026 U.S. Open and look forward to competing in front of the fans in New York once again,” Wawrinka said in a statement.

There was some criticism of the USTA on Saturday when it passed on Wawrinka, a popular three-time Grand Slam champion who is planning to retire. He had not entered the U.S. Open qualifying tournament, so that decision seemed to end his final chance to make the main draw.

But Wawrinka showed only appreciation in his post Tuesday.

"Thank you, New York Thank you, (at) US Open," Wawrinka wrote. along with emojis of the Statue of Liberty and a tennis racket. “Thank you to every single fan who supported me, pushed me, believed in me and shared all these emotions with me over the years. Forever grateful. Forever New York.”

Wawrinka became one of the most accomplished players of his era, at a time when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were dominating tennis. He beat Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final and Djokovic the following year to win the French Open.

He beat Djokovic again in 2016 to win the title in New York, though he wasn't able to defend it. Wawrinka missed the 2017 U.S. Open after having two knee surgeries that year, then had a pair of foot surgeries in 2021.

Wawrinka reached No. 3 in the ATP rankings and also teamed with Federer to win the 2008 Olympic gold medal in men's doubles.

“When I first arrived in New York from a small farming village in Switzerland, everything felt too big. The city. The noise. The energy. The crowds. The lights. But year after year New York slowly became one of my favorite places in the world,” he wrote.

“This city challenged me. It pushed me. It brought something out of me that few places ever could. I experienced some of the strongest emotions of my career here. The battles, the late nights, the incredible atmosphere, the love from the crowd … memories that will stay with me forever. Winning the US Open, in the city that never sleeps, will forever be one of the greatest moments of my life.”

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