The USTA has announced the men’s singles wild cards for the 2026 US Open, with Gael Monfils and Alexei Popyrin headlining the main-draw selections. Five Americans will also receive main-draw opportunities, including several young players associated with the PIF ATP Next Gen Accelerator program.
Main Draw Wild Cards
Monfils, 39, will make what is expected to be his final US Open appearance after announcing that 2026 will be his final season. The Frenchman received his wild card through the reciprocal agreement between the USTA and French Tennis Federation. He has enjoyed considerable success in New York, reaching the semifinals in 2016, where he lost to Djokovic, and the quarterfinals in 2019 before falling to Matteo Berrettini in a five-set thriller.
Popyrin, 27, received his wild card through the USTA’s reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia. The Australian is a three-time ATP Tour champion and reached the fourth round of the US Open in 2025.
Five Americans also received main-draw wild cards: Michael Zheng, Martin Damm, Jack Kennedy, Sebastian Gorzny and J.J. Wolf.
Zheng, 22, graduated from Columbia in May after winning back-to-back NCAA singles titles in 2024 and 2025. He has already made all three Grand Slam main draws in 2026 and enjoyed his best major run at Wimbledon, defeating Cameron Norrie before losing to fourth-seeded Félix Auger-Aliassime in the third round.
Damm recently broke into the Top 100, while Kennedy, Gorzny and Wolf will also take their places in the main draw. Zheng, Kennedy and Gorzny are members of the 2026 PIF ATP Next Gen Accelerator group, which supports promising young players through additional professional opportunities.
Nishikori and Qualifying
Kei Nishikori, 36, is also playing what is expected to be his final season. The Japanese star reached the 2014 US Open final, becoming the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam singles final.
Several American prospects have also been awarded qualifying opportunities, including junior standout Jordan Lee and a number of young players from the U.S. development system.
The Wawrinka Question
One notable omission from the initial main-draw announcement is Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 US Open champion who is also in his final season.
However, the USTA has indicated that one additional men’s main-draw wild card remains to be awarded, so we will see…
