STAN WAWRINKA RETIRES AFTER 24-YEAR TENNIS CAREER
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By: Fasasi Hammad
Tennis great Stan Wawrinka has brought his illustrious 24-year professional career to an end after suffering a first-round defeat at the Basel Open on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old Swiss had announced earlier in the season that the ATP 500 tournament in his home country would be his final professional competition. His farewell came with a 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) loss to Czech player Jiri Lehecka, ending the career of a three-time Grand Slam champion.
Former world number three Wawrinka, alongside Andy Murray, was among the few players to win multiple Grand Slam titles during an era dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Wawrinka claimed his first Grand Slam title by defeating Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final. He went on to beat Djokovic in the French Open final in 2015 before overcoming the Serbian again to win the US Open in 2016.
Alongside compatriot Federer, the Lausanne-born star also helped Switzerland win the Davis Cup and secured Olympic gold in men’s doubles at the 2008 Beijing Games.
During his final match in Basel, the home crowd erupted in cheers whenever Wawrinka won a point or produced one of his trademark powerful one-handed backhands.
However, Lehecka gained the upper hand by breaking Wawrinka’s serve in the 11th game of the opening set before serving out the set without dropping a point.
The second set remained closely contested, forcing a tie-break, but Wawrinka was unable to extend his farewell as the world number 21 took control to win the tie-break and seal the match.
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