Several high-profile players, including Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, have withdrawn from the Madrid Open.
Jannik Sinner has still not decided if he will play Madrid, while Taylor Fritz will continue his break during the clay court swing.
That means four of the top 10 could be out of the Masters event before first round, which would be a damaging blow for the Spanish tournament.
However, Stan Wawrinka has been a major benefactor of the mass withdrawals as he prepares for his last-ever Madrid Open.
Stan Wawrinka receives major boost at the Madrid Open
Wawrinka is currently playing his final year on the ATP Tour as he is set to hang up his racket at the culmination of the season.
The Swiss star has received wild cards at the Australian Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters, but he surprisingly did not gain instant access into the Madrid Open.
Do you think Stan Wawrinka deserves a wildcard for Roland Garros this year?
The 2013 Madrid Open finalist was set to enter through qualifying to play the event, but now he will not have to.
Due to the mass withdrawals, Wawrinka has now earned a place in the main draw of the Masters events thanks to his ranking.
Wawrinka is currently ranked world number 106 after losing in the first round of the Barcelona Open to Cameron Norrie.
Stan Wawrinka’s record at the Madrid Open
This year’s Madrid Open will be the Swiss star’s 14th appearance at the Spanish event, with his first coming back in 2007.
To date, Wawrinka holds a solid 17–13 win-loss record in Madrid, which equates to a 57% winning percentage.
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Wawrinka’s best performance was a final appearance in 2013, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in the final. The Swiss star had beaten Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych en route to the final.
Outside of his final appearance in 2013, Wawrinka has only reached the quarter-final stage on one other occasion.
That came in 2019, when Wawrinka picked up victories against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Guido Pella, and Kei Nishikori, before he was comfortably defeated in straight sets by Nadal.
Wawrinka’s appearance at this year’s event will mark his first appearance since 2013, when he was knocked out of the second round.
He beat Maxime Cressy in the first round before succumbing to Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
