Stan Wawrinka began his professional career on the clay of Gstaad in 2003. On Tuesday, more than two decades later, he ended his time at the tournament on the same court, falling in the first round of the EFG Swiss Open to Portugal’s Jaime Faria 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4.
A full-circle exit. The 41-year-old took the opening set in a tiebreak and struck 16 aces across two hours and 38 minutes, but could not convert any of his six break-point chances and lost his grip on the match after the first set. When it was over, the crowd at Roy Emerson Arena rose for a standing ovation, and tournament organizers staged a farewell ceremony, presenting Wawrinka with a pair of skis in a nod to his Swiss roots. Gstaad was where he made his tour-level debut in 2003 and reached his first ATP final in 2005.
One of Switzerland’s best. Wawrinka leaves the event as a three-time Grand Slam champion, with titles at the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 Roland Garros and 2016 US Open. He reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in 2014, won 16 tour-level singles titles, and anchored Switzerland’s 2014 Davis Cup triumph. Among Swiss men since 1990, only Roger Federer — with whom Wawrinka won Olympic doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 — has claimed more titles.
The late bloomer. Wawrinka built his major résumé the hard way, winning each of his three Slams at age 28 or older and beating a member of the sport’s dominant quartet in every final: Rafael Nadal in Melbourne, then Novak Djokovic in Paris and New York. His one-handed backhand, hit flat and heavy, became one of the most recognizable shots of his era and a throwback in a game trending toward two-handers.
The road out. The Gstaad farewell does not close the career. Wawrinka confirmed late last year that he would retire at the end of the 2026 season and has set the Swiss Indoors Basel in October as his final ATP Tour event, on home soil. “2026 will be my last year on tour,” he said in announcing the decision. A wild card into the North American hard-court swing and a final US Open appearance remain on his schedule before the autumn.
For a player who spent his prime alongside Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray, Wawrinka carved out a distinct place — the outsider who, on his best days, beat any of them with a major on the line. Gstaad, where it started, was a fitting place to begin the goodbye.
