Belinda Bencic and her compatriot Stan Wawrinka have kicked off their 2026 season by representing Switzerland at the United Cup in Australia. During a press conference at the tournament, Bencic called out the Australian Open for not yet awarding a Wildcard to Wawrinka.
The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to take place after the conclusion of the United Cup, which will run from January 18 to February 1, 2026, at Melbourne Park.
Belinda Bencic Makes Her Feelings Known on Compatriot Stan Wawrinka’s Australian Open Wildcard Wait
For the 2026 United Cup, Switzerland has been placed in Group C alongside Team Italy and Team France. In addition to Wawrinka and Bencic, the Swiss team includes players like Jakub Paul, Luca Castelnuovo, and Naïma Karamoko, with Wawrinka also serving as the team’s captain.
Team Switzerland began its campaign by facing Team France. Bencic earned the team’s first point by defeating Léolia Jeanjean in a singles match. Wawrinka then extended their lead over the French team by overcoming Arthur Rinderknech in another singles match. Bencic later partnered with Paul for the mixed doubles and won against Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah and Édouard Roger-Vasselin, completing a 3-0 victory for the Swiss team.
Most recently, Switzerland faced former runners-up Team Italy. Bencic opened the tie with a strong performance, defeating Jasmine Paolini to put Switzerland ahead 1-0. However, Flavio Cobolli made a comeback for Italy by defeating Wawrinka, leveling the score at 1-1. In the mixed doubles rubber, Bencic and Paul secured the win against Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, resulting in a final score of 2-1 in favor of Switzerland.
After the win over Italy, during the post-match press conference, Wawrinka was asked if he is confident that he will receive a wildcard for the 2026 Australian Open.
The former World No. 3, who won the Melbourne Major in 2014 by defeating Rafael Nadal in the final, expressed uncertainty about whether he might receive a wildcard entry into the main draw. He mentioned that whenever he gets a wildcard, he feels “super happy,” but if he doesn’t receive one for Melbourne, it’s “good,” and he will move on to play in the next tournament.
“I don’t know actually. For me, I’m taking week after week. When I receive good news like I did for playing here and the wild card for Auckland, I’m super happy. I’m super happy when I receive one. When I don’t receive, that’s all good, I’m going to go for the next tournament,” Wawrinka said.
Following Wawrinka’s comments, the rest of the Swiss team was asked if they think he should receive a wildcard for the Australian Open. Bencic expressed her support for Wawrinka, stating that he deserves a wildcard and that she doesn’t understand what the Grand Slam organizers are “waiting for.”
“It’s not even a question. I don’t know what they’re waiting for,” Bencic said.
With their victory over Team Italy, the Swiss team secured a place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 United Cup, where they will face either Team Greece or Team Great Britain.
