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5h ago

Stan Wawrinka Ends Career With Basel Defeat

His exit closes a 24-year run that produced three Grand Slams, 16 ATP titles, Olympic doubles gold, a key role in Switzerland’s Davis Cup triumph.

Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka speaks with the umpire and a court official during a rain delay in his first round match against Italy's Matteo Berrettini at Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 31, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Amber
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Overview

  • Wawrinka played the final match of his professional career in Basel, losing 7-5, 7-6(2) to Jiří Lehečka in the first round and leaving the court to sustained cheers from the home crowd.
  • The 41-year-old had announced that 2026 would be his farewell season and chose the Swiss Indoors as his final tournament after turning pro in 2002.
  • Wawrinka finishes with three major titles, a career-high ranking of world No. 3, 16 tour-level wins, Olympic doubles gold with Roger Federer and a role in Switzerland’s 2014 Davis Cup victory.
  • Lehečka paid tribute after the match, saying the occasion was about celebrating Wawrinka’s legacy, and Wawrinka told the ATP he wanted to leave the sport having given everything and having no regrets.
  • A post-retirement exhibition titled 'One Last Backhand' in Geneva on December 19 has been reported, which would reunite Wawrinka with peers including Roger Federer, Gaël Monfils and Andy Murray.