Once among the world's best, now fighting through US Open qualifying: The shocking list nobody expected

A few years ago, many of these players were competing for Grand Slam titles and are in fact former Grand Slam champions or big names such as Bianca Andreescu, Zheng Qinwen, Stan Wawrinka and Jack Draper. Now they're fighting simply to reach the US Open main draw.

Former champions, Olympic gold medallists, former world No. 2s and top-10 stars are all projected to play qualifying in New York—a remarkable reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in tennis.

The three-time Grand Slam champion is in the final stage of his career and could have the last Grand Slam appearance of his career ahead of him. However, he did not secure a place in the main draw through his ranking and is currently positioned in the qualifying field, meaning he would need three victories to reach the main draw.

A wildcard from the tournament organizers appears highly likely, considering this is his farewell season and Wawrinka was US Open champion back in 2016. However, nothing is guaranteed. Just a year ago he was surprisingly snubbed for a wildcard despite having requested one, forcing him to miss the tournament altogether. This time, with retirement approaching, he will be hoping for a positive decision that allows him to play one last Grand Slam main draw in New York. A wildcard would almost certainly make him one of the most popular players in the draw.

The 2019 US Open champion is facing the reality of being outside the top 100 and is currently listed in the qualifying draw. The Canadian has had no problem playing qualifying events several times in recent years, although the US Open appears to be her best chance of receiving a wildcard and entering directly into the main draw.

Back in 2024, Andreescu was one of the players awarded a wildcard, while in 2025 an injury forced her to miss the event just weeks before the tournament while she was again hoping for a wildcard from the organizers. It remains to be seen whether she will receive another direct entry into the main draw or whether she will once again have to earn her place through qualifying.

Another Grand Slam champion who has fallen down the rankings. The 2020 Australian Open champion needed years to re-establish herself as a top-level player, and just a year ago she was hovering around the top 30 and once again earning seeds at Grand Slam tournaments. However, the last few months have been poor, with only two wins in her last 11 matches, leaving her faces the prospect of qualifying in New York.

The last time Kenin had to play Grand Slam qualifying was Wimbledon 2023, and it turned into a confidence-building opportunity. After winning three qualifying matches, she stunned seventh seed Coco Gauff in the first round and went on to reach the third round, putting together a five-match winning streak that sparked a major ranking rise during the second half of the season. This time, qualifying may not be such bad news for Kenin either.

Two years ago he stunned Djokovic and looked destined to become a permanent top-20 player.. The Australian arrived at Flushing Meadows as a Masters champion and stunned the tennis world by defeating Novak Djokovic, who was the defending champion at the time.

However, his consistency has disappeared and the 2026 season has taken a heavy toll on his ranking. He has won only eight of his 25 matches this year and arrives on a six-match losing streak over the past two months, forcing him to compete in Challenger events. He recently dropped out of the top 100, which left him outside the US Open main draw. There is still some hope, though, as he is currently listed as the second alternate, meaning only a couple of withdrawals could move him directly into the main draw and spare him from playing qualifying.

Dimitrov is another player who can realistically hope for a wildcard, although the US Open organizers traditionally tend to prioritize American players. The former world No. 3 recently received a wildcard into Wimbledon and showed that he can still compete at a high level, reaching the fourth round before being upset by home favorite Arthur Fery.

After missing much of the 2025 season and the start of 2026, Dimitrov has no points to defend during the coming weeks, and his ranking of No. 138 is particularly misleading given that he has played only a handful of tournaments this year. He already had to play Grand Slam qualifying a few months ago at Roland Garros, where he was surprisingly beaten in the first round by Portugal’s Jaime Faria and failed to reach the main draw.

A former ATP Finals champion, former World No.3 and still dangerous despite ranking. Certainly a player who will be there for reputation than ranking.

It feels almost surreal that Jack Draper could be playing Grand Slam qualifying. The 2025 Indian Wells champion has already shown his level at the US Open, reaching the semifinals in 2024 before losing to Jannik Sinner. After a year heavily affected by injuries, his current ranking of No. 143 leaves him among the players projected to compete in qualifying, although the Brit could still receive a wildcard. The competition for those invitations is intense, and for now his ranking would require him to play the qualifying event.

The former world No. 4 recently suffered another injury setback, forcing him to withdraw from the DC Open at the start of the hard-court swing. His comeback is expected to come quickly, as he immediately received a main-draw wildcard for the Canadian Open. The 24-year-old is desperate for match time and victories, otherwise he could continue relying on wildcards or qualifying draws for the remainder of the season.

The former world No. 4 is set to return to Grand Slam qualifying, just as she did in the early years of her career. Her rapid rise took her to a first major final, an Olympic gold medal, and nearly a full year inside the top five. However, injuries and a lack of consistency have caused a major drop in the rankings, and she is outside the direct-entry cut-off at the US Open.

Zheng’s loss of confidence has been evident since returning to competition a few months ago, and her results have been particularly inconsistent. She already has two consecutive hard-court losses and was eliminated early in Canadian Open qualifying. At Flushing Meadows she reached the quarterfinals in both 2023 and 2024, but this time even reaching the main draw is no longer a certainty given the poor form she brings into the tournament.

Still an unfamiliar name to many tennis fans, the Frenchman is one of the players who has taken the biggest advantage of the weeks following Wimbledon. He recently won his first ATP title at the Los Cabos Open, defeating Francisco Cerundolo and Coleman Wong before beating Denis Shapovalov in straight sets in the final.

Gea has climbed rapidly from No. 241 to No. 82, which would normally be enough to enter Grand Slam main draws directly. However, the US Open entry cutoff was determined before his breakthrough run in Los Cabos, so he was considered based on his previous ranking. In qualifying, his current ranking would likely make him the top seed, giving him a potentially favorable draw.

Perhaps the newest sensation on the WTA Tour after winning her first WTA title at just 16 years old last week. After coming through qualifying in Memphis, Liutova defeated players such as Ekaterina Alexandrova and Maya Joint on her way to the final, which was only her debut in a WTA 250 tournament, and she unexpectedly claimed the title by defeating Vidmanova in three sets.

Liutova, who started the year ranked No. 718, has now climbed to No. 126. After becoming the first player born in 2010 to win a WTA-level title, she will look to continue her remarkable rise in US Open qualifying, where she will be one of the names to watch.

Her ascent has been meteoric and recalls the early breakthroughs of players such as Maria Sharapova, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva in terms of how young she was when she won her first title. Perhaps in a few years we will be talking about Liutova as one of the dominant players on the WTA Tour, but first she must navigate qualifying in pursuit of her Grand Slam main-draw debut.

The veteran will turn 42 during the US Open and will attempt to reach the main draw through qualifying. Zvonareva has focused mainly on doubles in recent years, with significant success including the US Open final in 2023, but she has recently made several singles appearances and has left encouraging impressions so far.

The former US Open runner-up last played a Grand Slam singles main draw in 2023, also at Flushing Meadows, where she came through qualifying before losing in the first round to Yanina Wickmayer. This time the former world No. 2 is hoping to extend her career even further and prove that she can still compete at the highest level.

Men's: Nikoloz Basilashvili (former world No. 16 and Indian Wells runner-up), Cristian Garin (former No. 17 and five-time ATP champion), Reilly Opelka (former No. 17 and former Canadian Open runner-up), Bernard Tomic (former No. 17), Zhizhen Zhang (former No. 31), and Marco Cecchinato (former No. 16 and Roland Garros semifinalist).

Women's: Veronika Kudermetova (former world No. 9), Beatriz Haddad Maia (former No. 10), Lulu Sun (former No. 39 and Wimbledon quarterfinalist), and Nadia Podoroska (former No. 36 and Roland Garros semifinalist).

Grand Slam qualifying is often where the next stars emerge, but this year it may also feature some of the biggest names in tennis. Whether through wildcards or three demanding qualifying matches, several former champions and elite players still have work to do before earning a place in the final Grand Slam of the season.