The USTA announced the wildcard entrants for the US Open at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday, and there are some familiar names among the winners. Here we look at the wildcard winners and share our thoughts.
Wildcards for the US Open, Men
Stan Wawrinka
Probably the most famous name among eight men. The 39-year-old Swiss is a three-time Grand Slam winner, including the US Open. Wawrinka took the title in 2016 by defeating Novak Djokovic in four sets. The Swiss has also won the French Open and the Australian Open. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament that has eluded the 39-year-old; a quarterfinal was his best result.
Dominic Thiem
Thiem, another US Open champion, won 2020 in the COVID year. The Austrian had a very good season in 2020. He reached the final of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the French Open. Wimbledon did not take place that year. Thiem has not been able to repeat that form since then, with the best performance being the fourth round in Australia in 2021. As a former champion, it was a given that the Austrian would get a wildcard, especially in his final year.
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Chris Eubanks
The first of the Americans to receive a wildcard for his home Grand Slam tournament. The 28-year-old’s best result was the second round. Since Wimbledon, which also happened to be played on grass, Eubanks has only made it to the semifinals of an ATP main tour event once. In Newport, Rhode Island, the American lost that match to the eventual champion. Eubanks will definitely want to progress in his home Grand Slam.
Zachary Svajda
Svajda is an exciting prospect for American tennis and has previously competed in the US Open as a wildcard. He first competed in 2019 at the tender age of 16, making Svajda the youngest male competitor since Donald Young in 2005. The 21-year-old has steadily worked his way up the rankings. With a career-best ranking of 109th, the young man is one to keep an eye on in the future.
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Learner Tien
Tien, another young man considered the future of American tennis, is only 18 years old. The young man has impressed at Junior Grand Slams, reaching at least the quarterfinals in each of the four tournaments. This season, Tien received a wildcard for the Challenger event in Cranbrook. The American won his first Challenger title at this event. For this reason, he was awarded a wildcard for the US Open.
Matthew Forbes
Matthew Forbes is another young star. The 18-year-old American has been playing mainly on the ITF junior tour. This season, Forbes has a 50% win rate on hard courts, currently his best surface. Forbes will be an unknown on the main tour, but has impressed the USTA enough to earn a coveted wildcard into his home Grand Slam.
Alexandre Müller
As part of a mutual agreement whereby the French Open awards an American a wildcard, the Frenchman was selected by the US Open to receive a wildcard for this tournament. Muller won the title in San Marino as the third seed. The 27-year-old has never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam, but hopes the wildcard will give him the chance to do so this year.
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Tristan Schoolkate
As with the French Open, the Australian Open will award at least one wildcard to an American, and the USTA is also offering a wildcard to an Australian. Schoolkate has never played in the US Open, nor has he ever qualified for the Australian Open. This will be the 23-year-old’s Grand Slam debut. This will essentially be Schoolkate’s biggest payout. Should the Australian lose in the first round, he will receive around $25,000. In lower-tier tennis, this amount will be the most prize money he has ever won.
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
