Stan Wawrinka’s glorious tennis career came to an emotional end in Basel on Tuesday, as the 41-year-old Swiss star bowed out after an honourable defeat to world No. 21 Jiri Lehecka. The three-time Grand Slam champion lost 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) in front of passionate home support, closing a professional journey that spanned 23 years and 985 matches.
Stan Wawrinka (Credits: BBC Sport)
Even in defeat, Wawrinka gave the Basel crowd everything they had come to love about him. The stylish one-handed backhand down the line was there, as was the finger pointed to the temple, the demand for more noise from the stands, and the roar of “Allez!” after winning a point he probably should not have won. By the end, Wawrinka, his family and his team were dabbing their eyes as the reality of the farewell dawned.
Stan Wawrinka Retires After Basel Farewell to Jiri Lehecka
Speaking after the match, Wawrinka summed up the philosophy that carried him through more than two decades at the top. “All I wanted in my career was to give everything, have no regrets, to always fight, to always give 100% in every match,” he told the ATP website. “That was always the most important thing for more than 20 years, and the only way you can leave the sport — without any regrets.”
Ranked world No. 151 at the end, Wawrinka had shown a willingness in recent seasons to drop down to the ATP Challenger Tour, a sign of an eternal love for a game he knew owed him nothing. It is that everyman quality that made him so beloved: a player who reached the pinnacle of his sport by pushing himself to the limit, rather than by effortless talent alone.
How Wawrinka Gatecrashed the Big Three Era
So many talented players of Wawrinka’s generation lamented the presence of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, believing the Big Three blocked their path to a Grand Slam title. Wawrinka refused to accept that. With explosive shot-making, relentless endurance and indomitable spirit, he barrelled past all three on his way to his trio of majors.
His breakthrough came at the 2014 Australian Open, where the eighth seed beat Djokovic in the quarter-finals before toppling top seed Nadal in the final at the age of 28. A year later at the 2015 French Open, he brushed past compatriot Federer in the quarter-finals, then demolished Djokovic in the final with a display of unrelenting power ranked among the greatest of his era. His last major arrived at the 2016 US Open, where he escaped from match point down against Britain’s Dan Evans in the third round before beating Djokovic again for the title.
Wawrinka was the only man outside Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray to win multiple Grand Slam singles titles between 2006 and 2022. Djokovic, a 24-time major champion who practised with Wawrinka in Basel, described him as a “legend”, praising his talent, strength, power and precision.
Wawrinka himself recognises he was “really far” from creating a Big Five alongside Murray, who reached world No. 1 and won two Olympic singles gold medals. But for a player who once admitted he never expected to win a Grand Slam because he did not think he was good enough to beat those guys, three majors and a 23-year career is a legacy few everymen could dream of.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
