2014 champion Stan Wawrinka leads initial wild cards for 2025 Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka was among nine wild-card entries awarded Friday for the Australian Open in January.

Tennis Australia said Wawrinka would be joined at Melbourne Park — where the main draw begins on Jan. 12 — by Australians Tristan Schoolkate, Li Tu, James McCabe, Daria Saville, Ajla Tomljanovic, Emerson Jones, Talia Gibson and Maya Joint.

It said more main draw wild cards and wild-card entries to the qualifying tournament will be announced soon.

Wawrinka won the Australian Open in 2014, beating the recently-retired Rafael Nadal in four sets, for his first Grand Slam singles title. Wawrinka peaked at world No. 3 with that victory, and later added major titles at the French Open in 2015 and the 2016 U.S. Open.

The now-39-year-old Swiss player has battled injuries in recent years but advanced to the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2020 for the fifth time, marking his last appearance at a major quarterfinal.

"I'm incredibly grateful to receive a wild card into the Australian Open in 2025," Wawrinka was quoted as saying. "Melbourne holds such a special place in my heart ... one of the greatest milestones of my career."