Stan Wawrinka retires after final tournament in Basel

Stan Wawrinka is retiring after his final tournament in Basel. The 41-year-old Swiss star, a former world No. 3, will close a professional career that began in 2002. His legacy is built on three Grand Slam victories and 590 ATP Tour-level wins.

Wawrinka's career highlights include major titles at the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 Roland Garros, and 2016 US Open. He also won one Masters 1000 title and was part of Switzerland's 2014 Davis Cup-winning team. Across 24 seasons, he secured 16 career titles. Wawrinka was a formidable challenger during the era of the sport's biggest names, notching 63 wins over top-10 opponents. Five of those victories came against world No. 1 players. He joins a very short list of players to have defeated Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal at Grand Slam events.

Final tournament and farewell

Wawrinka is playing his last official tournament at the ATP 500 Swiss Indoors in Basel. He first competed at this event in 2003 and is making his 19th main draw appearance. A tribute ceremony was held for him on center court on Monday, featuring an hour-long celebration. Swiss singer Bastian Baker performed his song 'Lucky' during the event. Wawrinka stated he feels lucky and happy to be in Basel to say goodbye to the sport he loves. He is aware this is the final tournament of his career and takes wonderful memories with him from his journey.

His first match of the tournament-and the final match of his career-is scheduled for Tuesday against world No. 21 Jiri Lehecka. Wawrinka is aiming to reach the second round in Basel for the 10th time. His recent form has been challenging, with one win against eleven losses versus top-50 players this season.

Tribute and tributes from peers

Despite some notable absences, Wawrinka received widespread acclaim from peers and organizers. Tournament director Roger Brennwald praised him as a tennis legend, comparing him to the Sylvester Stallone of tennis. Video messages from Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Martina Navratilova, and John McEnroe were shown during the ceremony.

Roger Federer, who won the 2008 Olympic doubles gold medal with Wawrinka, congratulated him on his career and recalled their wonderful time together. Federer did not attend in person due to reported tensions since his own 2022 retirement. Novak Djokovic, who lost to Wawrinka in two Grand Slam finals, also expressed admiration. Djokovic called him one of the most passionate players he has met but was ultimately unable to be present. The tributes highlighted Wawrinka's respected place among the game's greats, a status echoed in recent honors for other veterans like Gaël Monfils and David Goffin at their home events.

Wawrinka's final professional act will be his Tuesday match against Jiri Lehecka.