MELBOURNE, Australia — 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.”