Two-time U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka, along with past winners Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, and Bianca Andreescu, have been granted wild cards for this year’s tournament. Osaka, who claimed victory in 2018 and 2020, has faced setbacks recently due to time off and not meeting direct qualification criteria for the tournament. After returning to the WTA Tour this season following the birth of her daughter last year, Osaka aims to regain her form that once propelled her to the top of the rankings and made her a dominant force on hard courts.

Andreescu, the Canadian who defeated Serena Williams in the 2019 U.S. Open final, returned to the tour at the French Open after a nine-month hiatus due to a back injury. Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Open winner, will use the tournament as his final Grand Slam appearance after announcing plans to retire at the end of the season. Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam winner, including the 2016 U.S. Open, will be participating in his 72nd Grand Slam tournament despite dropping outside the top 100 rankings.

In addition to the former champions, American players Amanda Anisimova, McCartney Kessler, Alexa Noel, and Iva Jovic received wild cards for the women’s main draw, along with Chloe Paquet from France and Taylah Preston from Australia. On the men’s side, Americans Chris Eubanks, Learner Tien, Zachary Svajda, and Matthew Forbes, as well as France’s Alexandre Muller and Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate, were awarded wild cards for the upcoming tournament. The U.S. Open is set to commence on August 26th.