BASEL, Switzerland — The legendary journey of Stan Wawrinka concluded on Tuesday at his beloved Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel.
In a gripping first-round match, the three-time Grand Slam champion succumbed to eighth-seeded Jiri Lehecka, with a final score of 7-5, 7-6 (2).
The 41-year-old Wawrinka’s last swing as a professional ended with a backhand that veered wide, eliciting audible gasps of disappointment from the passionate local fans.
A professional since 2002, Wawrinka had declared last December that 2026 would mark the conclusion of his illustrious career, and “Stan the Man” enjoyed heartfelt tributes throughout his farewell tour.
Wawrinka’s three Grand Slam victories were achieved by triumphing over the reigning World No. 1 at each final: he overcame Rafa Nadal for the 2014 Australian Open and outplayed Novak Djokovic to clinch both the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open titles.
Reaching a peak world ranking of No. 3 in 2014, Wawrinka amassed an impressive total of 16 tour-level titles.
Additionally, he joined forces with Roger Federer to secure the doubles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and together, they led Switzerland to its first Davis Cup victory in 2014.
