Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt of Australia gestures to the crowd as he leaves the court after losing his match against Jarkko Nieminen of Finland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, June 29, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Lleyton Hewitt, the 2011 US Open champion, headlines the wild card into the men’s singles main draw at the US Open, which kicks off Aug. 31. Hewitt is one of the eight players that were awarded wild cards at Flushing Meadows.

Americans Jared Donaldson, Bjorn Fratangelo, Ryan Harrison, Austin Krajicek, Ryan Shane and Frances Tiafoe as well as Frenchman Pierre-Hughes Herbert join the 34-year-old Australian in the main draw, which takes place on Aug. 27, according to the tournament’s official website.

Hewitt has reportedly been given a wild card to the tournament through a mutual agreement between United States Tennis Association and Tennis Australia. It means that a wild card entry will also be awarded to an American player for next year’s Australian Open. Hewitt previously revealed his plan to retreat from the sporting world of tennis after the 2016 Australian Open.

Hewitt last played in Montreal for the Association of Tennis Professionals Masters 1000 event, Rogers Cup. He competed in the doubles event with Canberra native Nick Kyrgios, but both were eliminated in the first round after falling to Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-5 6-4. Hewitt has been working with Kyrgios as the 20-year-old continues his preparations for the US Open.

Meanwhile, two-time grand slam doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands leads the wild card for the women’s draw at the US Open. Joining Mattek-Sands are six American players, namely, Louisa Chirico, Samantha Crawford, Nicole Gibbs, Sofia Kenin, Jamie Loeb and Sachia Vickery, in addition to Oceana Dodin of France.

The US Open runs until Sept. 13. It is the last grand slam tournament of the 2015 tennis season. Aside from Hewitt, six former US Open champions are included in the main draw, which are five-time champion Roger Federer (2004 to 2008), two-time champion Rafael Nadal (2010 and 2013), Novak Djokovic (2011), Andy Murray (2012) and reigning champion Marin Cilic.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES