Stan Wawrinka ends tennis career on Tuesday, after a first-round defeat at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, his home tournament, closing a decorated 24-year run in the sport. The 41-year-old Swiss lost 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) to Czech Jiri Lehecka, and walked off court for the last time as a professional player.
Wawrinka had announced earlier in the season that his last tournament would be the ATP 500 event in his home country. He turned professional in 2002, and he had already confirmed last December that 2026 would be his final season on the tour.
The farewell had a fitting setting. Basel is Wawrinka’s home tournament, and the crowd greeted his every point with wild cheers, along with several trademark booming one-handed backhands. He had enjoyed a farewell ceremony in Basel on Monday, and after the match he did a lap of the court to thank the crowd before disappearing down the tunnel for the last time.
Wawrinka ends tennis career: how the final match unfolded
Lehecka, the eighth seed and world No. 21, got his nose in front with a break of serve in the 11th game of the opening set, and sealed the set with an ace. The second set stayed tight all the way to a tie-break, but Lehecka took firm control there and closed out the match. Wawrinka’s final shot as a professional was a backhand that sailed wide, drawing an audible reaction from the home crowd.
“He won the biggest tournaments, so for me to be here in his moment is a little bit weird,” Lehecka told Sky Sports after the match. “But at the same time, it’s a pleasure and I will never forget this match.”
Ahead of his last match, Wawrinka told the ATP website that his career had always been guided by the desire to give his best and leave nothing unfinished. “For me, all I wanted in my career was to give everything, to have no regrets, to always fight, to always give 100% in every match, out of respect for myself, for the opponent, for the tournament, for the fans, for everybody,” he said. “That was always the most important thing for more than 20 years, and that’s the only way you can leave the sport: without any regrets.”
Three Grand Slams against the greatest of his era
Wawrinka’s career stands out because of who he had to beat to win his biggest titles. He won three Grand Slam crowns, and each one came against a player ranked world No. 1 at the time of the final.
He bested Rafael Nadal to win his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2014, before beating Novak Djokovic in the French Open final the following season, and then again in the US Open title match in 2016. Alongside Andy Murray, he was the only player to win multiple Grand Slams in a period dominated by Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
“I was lucky enough to be able to play alongside them and sometimes beat them,” Wawrinka told AFP in 2024.
Beyond the majors, he won 16 ATP titles and reached a career-high world ranking of number three in 2014. Alongside his compatriot Federer, the Lausanne native won the Davis Cup for Switzerland in 2014 and claimed gold in the doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. That breadth, across singles, doubles and team competition, is part of why his retirement has drawn tributes well beyond Switzerland.
Why Wawrinka mattered beyond the Big Three
Tennis in Wawrinka’s era is often told as the story of three men, and with good reason. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic shared almost every major title for two decades. Wawrinka’s place in that story is different: he did not dominate the tour week after week, but when he reached a Grand Slam final, he beat the very best in front of him.
His one-handed backhand became his signature shot, and his peak years produced some of the most forceful tennis of the era. For younger players, his career also carried a simpler lesson. He won his first major at 28, later than most champions, and his best seasons came after years of steady work rather than early stardom.
