2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka has been granted a wildcard January’s Grand Slam. Tennis Australia announced on Friday that Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, is among nine players receiving wild-card entries for the tournament, which begins on January 12 at Melbourne Park.
Australian players Tristan Schoolkate, Li Tu, James McCabe, Daria Saville, Ajla Tomljanovic, Emerson Jones, Talia Gibson, and Maya Joint will join Wawrinka. Tennis Australia also mentioned that additional main draw and qualifying tournament wild-card entries would be revealed in the coming weeks.
Wawrinka’s remarkable victory at the Australian Open in 2014, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in four sets, marked the first of his three Grand Slam singles titles. That triumph propelled the Swiss player to a career-high ranking of world #3. He later added the French Open title in 2015 and the US Open crown in 2016, defeating the top-ranked player in the final of each tournament.
At 39, Wawrinka has battled injuries in recent years but reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the fifth time in 2020, his last major quarterfinal appearance. The wild-card entry offers him another chance to compete on the grand stage, where he has achieved some of his most memorable victories.
“I’m incredibly grateful to receive a wild card into the Australian Open in 2025,” Wawrinka shared. “Melbourne holds such a special place in my heart. It’s where I won my first Grand Slam, and it is one of the greatest milestones of my career. The city, the people, the loud fans, and the electric atmosphere make the Australian Open so special to me, and I’m really looking forward to getting back on the court in Melbourne.”
Wawrinka, who made his Australian Open debut nearly 20 years ago, has experienced a challenging period in his career. Currently ranked 161st in the world, the Swiss veteran has faced numerous injury setbacks.
He exited in the opening round of the 2024 Australian Open and has struggled to regain his form, finishing this season with a 10-17 win-loss record. His best performance of the year was reaching the semifinals in Stockholm. Despite these struggles, the 37-year-old legacy is firmly etched in tennis history. His Australian Open career boasts an impressive 43-17 win-loss record, with unforgettable matches against Novak Djokovic in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Main photo credit: Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports
