Stan Wawrinka cashes in on Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz withdrawals

Wawrinka set to enter main draw after multiple Madrid Open withdrawals

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are among several high-profile players who have withdrawn from the Madrid Open.

Jannik Sinner has yet to confirm if he will play, and Taylor Fritz has decided to continue his break during the clay court swing.

That could mean four of the top 10 players might not feature in the Masters event, which would be a significant setback for the Spanish tournament.

The main draw will start on April 22nd, 2024, and Wawrinka is expected to join it thanks to a string of withdrawals ahead of the deadline. Stan Wawrinka is set to enter his last-ever Madrid Open after a series of player withdrawals opened up space in the draw.

Stan Wawrinka Gets Major Opportunity at Madrid Open

Wawrinka has already confirmed this will be his final season on tour, bringing an end to a long and successful career.

He’s picked up wild cards for the Australian Open and Monte-Carlo Masters, but wasn’t given one for Madrid. Instead, he was originally set to go through qualifying.

But with several big names pulling out, Wawrinka’s ranking is now high enough to earn him a direct spot in the main draw.

The three-time Grand Slam champion currently sits at world number 106, having recently fallen to Cameron Norrie in the first round of Barcelona.

How Stan Wawrinka has performed at the Madrid Open

Wawrinka is set to make his 14th appearance at the Spanish event, with his debut dating back to 2007.

Over the years, Wawrinka has put together a respectable 17-13 record in Madrid, giving him a winning percentage of 57%.

His standout run came in 2013 when he reached the final before falling to Rafael Nadal. Along the way, he took down Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych.

Outside of that final run, Wawrinka’s deepest showing was a quarter-final appearance in 2019. He picked up wins over Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Guido Pella, and Kei Nishikori before losing in straight sets to Nadal again.

This year marks his first time back at the event since then. He reached round two on that occasion and was knocked out by Rublev after beating Maxime Cressy in round one.

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