Wawrinka still hoping and waiting for Australian Open wildcard – Tennis Now

Belinda Bencic summed it up best at the Fed Cup when she was asked whether former champion Stan Wawrinka deserved a wild card to the Australian Open.

“It’s not even a question,” she said. “I don’t know what they’re waiting for.”

Indeed.

There are still three unclaimed men’s singles wild cards in Melbourne, and news of Wawrinka’s participation should come out soon. Maybe the tournament is enjoying the attention and speculation surrounding this wild card, so why not wait until the news breaks and it really explodes?

It’s hard to imagine a former champion – three Grand Slam winners in total – being left off the list, even if he’s not at his best at age 40. Wawrinka, meanwhile, is delighted to be involved in the Confederations Cup, where he will join his teammates in Saturday’s semi-finals against either Belgium or the Czech Republic. He had already beaten Arthur Rinderknech in three sets at the Fed Cup and nearly won against Flavio Cobolli (he broke in the third set).

Obviously, Warninka is ranked 156th and is well-deserved.

“I’ve been talking to Craig [Tiley, tournament director] Before coming here in December. They’ve been keeping me updated on everything,” he said. “Like I said yesterday or two days ago, if I got one, I’d be very happy. I want to play it again. Of course, this is my last year. There are amazing memories out there, but I’m grateful for the ones I received last year. “

Wawrinka, ranked 156th, knows he will have to rely on tournament organizers for a wild card for much of the season unless he can put in some strong performances and return to the top 100.

“If I wanted to play again, one of the things I had to do was get into the top 100, and I didn’t,” he said.

“I’m happy with where I am and I’m not too worried about what’s going to happen in Melbourne.”