Stan Wawrinka has officially brought his 23-year professional tennis career to a close following a first-round defeat against Jiri Lehecka at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, where he had stated he would step away from the sport.
Over the course of his decorated career, Wawrinka accumulated 16 ATP titles, highlighted by three Grand Slam victories. His historic breakthrough occurred at the 2014 Australian Open, where he entered as the eighth seed without any prior major final appearances.
In the Melbourne quarter-finals, Wawrinka faced second seed and three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic. Having lost his previous 14 matches against Djokovic, Wawrinka entered the contest as a heavy underdog. He managed to orchestrate an upset in a grueling match lasting over four hours, prevailing 9-7 in the fifth set under the tournament's previous rules requiring a two-game advantage.
Wawrinka followed this by defeating Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals to reach his maiden Grand Slam final, where top seed Rafael Nadal awaited. Although he had never previously beaten Nadal, Wawrinka claimed a four-set victory to secure his first major title. By defeating both Djokovic and Nadal during the fortnight, he became the first player in history to beat both rivals at the same major tournament. Following Nadal's retirement, Wawrinka finishes his career as the sole player to achieve this feat.
While Wawrinka faced a lopsided record against the duo overall—winning just nine of 49 combined matches—he elevated his level in best-of-five encounters at majors. His major record against Djokovic narrowed to 5-4, a sequence that also featured victories in the finals of Roland Garros in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. His only defeat in a Grand Slam final came at the French Open in 2017 against Nadal.
Wawrinka departs alongside peers such as Andy Murray, Arthur Ashe, and Jan Kodes as a three-time major champion, making him a prime candidate for induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in five years.
