Stan Wawrinka thanks New York and US Open after 2016 champ doesn't get in event in his final season

NEW YORK (AP) — Stan Wawrinka thanked New York and the U.S. Open on Tuesday, after the past champion didn't get into the tournament in his final season before retiring.

Wawrinka was the 2016 U.S. Open champion , one of his three major titles. The 41-year-old from Switzerland is no longer ranked high enough to qualify directly for the tournament, and the U.S. Tennis Association didn't give him a wild card into the event.

"Thank you, New York Thank you, (at) US Open," Wawrinka wrote in a social media post 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.

There was some criticism of the USTA on Saturday when it awarded its final wild card to American Patrick Kypson, ranked No. 115, instead of to Wawrinka. Wawrinka is not entered in the U.S. Open qualifying tournament, so that ended his final chance to make the main draw.

But Wawrinka showed only appreciation in his post.

“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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