Stan Wawrinka celebrates with a beer following his farewell at the Australian Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Stan Wawrinka bid farewell following his defeat to Taylor Fritz and then retrieved two beers from a courtside cooler, popped the cans open with the Australian Open tournament director, and acknowledged the audience.
“Cheers everyone!” the 40-year-old Wawrinka remarked after Saturday’s 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 third-round defeat to No. 9 Fritz. “And thank you very much.”
Wawrinka secured the first of his three Grand Slam titles in Australia back in 2014.
With a 4½-hour, five-set victory over 21-year-old French qualifier Arthur Gea in the second round, Wawrinka became the first man aged 40 or older to reach the third round of a Grand Slam since Ken Rosewall at the 1978 Australian Open. His 49th five-set match at a major also set a record.
“I’m not certain it’s the most favorable statistic to hold,” Wawrinka commented regarding the 40-plus achievement, “but I will accept it.”
Wawrinka announced prior to the commencement of the 2026 season that this would be his final year on the professional circuit, but he emphasized that it was not merely a farewell tour. He continues to put in the effort and achieve results.
Following Wawrinka’s last match at Melbourne Park, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley joined him on the court for a ceremony and a brief tribute displayed on the stadium screen at John Cain Arena.
After the formalities, Wawrinka expressed a desire for a few closing remarks.
“Typically, we converse on court after a final. Today is not a final, so I won’t make it too lengthy,” he stated. “Thank you for the wild-card invitation … to have one last opportunity to say goodbye to the people in Melbourne.
“This was my final appearance as a tennis player here, unfortunately. I have experienced so many emotions here over the past 20 years. I feel sad to depart, but it has been an incredible journey.”
He then added, more spontaneously, “Now I can relax. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share a beer with Craig.”
Fritz progressed to a round-of-16 match against No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, who overcame Tomas Machac 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in a 4½-hour marathon earlier on Saturday at John Cain Arena. That match was paused for approximately 10 minutes in the fifth set to close the roof when the stadium’s extreme heat policy was activated.
Fritz, the 2024 US Open runner-up, thrived in the indoor conditions, delivering 30 aces and only one double-fault in four sets against Wawrinka.
“It’s a really, really challenging match obviously, the environment as well,” Fritz remarked about Wawrinka’s Australian finale. “I can’t fault anyone in the crowd for supporting Stan here. It’s remarkable what he’s accomplishing.
“I have immense respect for the passion and determination it takes to be doing what he’s doing this week.”
Source: espn.com
