The legendary Stan Wawrinka bids adieu to tennis

Swiss professional tennis player and former world No. 3 Stanislas Wawrinka has had his last Grand Slam outing at the ongoing US Open. He intends to sign off his career next month at home with the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

Wawrinka was initially not expected to play at the US Open but received a late wild card to compete in the final Grand Slam event of the year. But the 41-year-old Swiss lost in the first round to Italian opponent Matteo Berrettini in straight sets (7–6, 7–6, 6–0). His popularity could be seen from the generous support he received from the American crowd, who kept cheering for him vociferously throughout the match.

Having played in the “Big Three” era, Wawrinka achieved what most top players couldn’t manage during the time. He won three Grand Slams — the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French Open, and the 2016 US Open — defeating topmost-ranked players in all three Slam finals.

In an era where the trio of Federer-Nadal-Djokovic kept sweeping up Grand Slam trophies for fun every year, it is incredible what Wawrinka achieved between 2014 and 2016. Wawrinka also reached another French Open final, in 2017, but he lost to Nadal in that one. He is also an Olympic gold medallist in men’s doubles, having won alongside compatriot Roger Federer at Beijing 2008. In all, he won 16 ATP Tour-level titles, including one Masters 1000 title, at the 2014 Monte-Carlo Masters, where he got the better of Federer in the final.

Most of Wawrinka’s career was spent in the shadows of his more talented and successful compatriot, Roger Federer, who won 20 Grand Slam titles and became one of the most popular athletes in the world of sport. However, Wawrinka never let that deter him and proved that he could not only compete but also win against the likes of Federer, Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

It’s quite incredible that only three players born in the 1990s have a Slam title, with Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev having one each, as the rest of the players couldn’t challenge the big three. These kinds of stats make Wawrinka’s achievement of winning three Slam titles, defeating two of the big three in the final, even more magnificent. He was particularly a nightmare for Djokovic, whom he defeated four times at the Slams. Wawrinka will forever be known for his intensity, passion, big booming serve, and one of the best one-handed backhands in the game.

With Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner reigning in a new era of young talents and dominating men’s tennis, it’s time for the old guard to give way. With Nadal and Federer already retired, and Djokovic in the twilight of his career, Wawrinka has been trying his luck at lower-level tournaments over the past few years to have match experience with the expectation of wild-card entries to the major tournaments. 

Wawrinka’s passion, intensity, and love for the game might not have waned, but after more than two decades of relentless tennis and multiple injury issues, there’s only so much a human body can endure. Tennis is a physically brutal sport, and it’s difficult to compete with an ageing body. Hence, as difficult as it must have been, Wawrinka made his decision last December. As mentioned on his social media account, 2026 was the “Final Push”, his last year on the ATP tour, where he could play one last time at all the tournaments he had competed in so many times before. 

When “Stan the Man” finally hangs up his racquet next month, tennis will become poorer, as he is not just a tennis legend but also one of the few players who constantly challenged the “Big Three” and even won, enthralling everyone with his aggressive, passionate, and intense brand of tennis. Along with talent and skill, he had a great amount of self-belief and the will to never give up. A winning mentality is what separates the great players from the good ones, and he had that in abundance.  

So long, Stan Wawrinka, the world of tennis will always remember the fierce battles, the Grand Slam victories, and an over-two-decade-long career of a fighter and a true champion worthy of immense pride.