NEW YORK — Two-time champion Naomi Osaka and fellow previous U.S. Open winners Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem and Bianca Andreescu got wild playing cards Wednesday into this yr’s event.
Osaka gained the primary of her 4 Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and took the title once more in 2020. However like the opposite previous champions given wild playing cards by the U.S. Tennis Affiliation, she has missed vital time in current seasons and was not ranked extremely sufficient to qualify instantly for the event.
Osaka returned to the WTA Tour this season after giving beginning final yr to a daughter however remains to be trying to find the shape that led her to No. 1 within the rankings and made her probably the most dominant gamers on laborious courts, having additionally gained the Australian Open twice.
Osaka, who additionally left the tour for psychological well being causes, misplaced in qualifying for this week’s Cincinnati Open. She wrote afterward in an Instagram publish that it was a wierd feeling “lacking balls that I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I bear in mind I used to.”
Andreescu, a Canadian who beat Serena Williams for the 2019 U.S. Open title, missed 9 months final yr with a again harm earlier than returning to tour on the French Open.
Thiem will get an opportunity to play a last Grand Slam event, having introduced earlier this yr that he would retire following the season. The 30-year-old Austrian gained his lone main title on the 2020 U.S. Open however has battled a wrist harm for a lot of the final three years.
Wawrinka, 39, gained the 2016 U.S. Open for certainly one of his three Grand Slam titles. Like Thiem, he rose as excessive as No. 3 within the ATP rankings however has fallen outdoors the highest 100. He might be making his 72nd look in the primary draw of a Grand Slam event, fifth all-time.
Individuals Amanda Anisimova, McCartney Kessler, Alexa Noel and Iva Jovic additionally acquired wild playing cards into the ladies’s foremost draw, together with Chloe Paquet of France and Taylah Preston of Australia.
Males to obtain wild playing cards have been Individuals Chris Eubanks, Learner Tien, Zachary Svajda and Matthew Forbes, together with France’s Alexandre Muller and Australian Tristan Schoolkate.
The U.S. Open begins Aug. 26.
