Stan Wawrinka retires after final match in Basel

Stan Wawrinka has played the final match of his professional tennis career, bringing a remarkable journey to a close at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. The three-time Grand Slam champion was beaten by Czech eighth seed Jiří Lehečka 7-5, 7-6(2) in the first round on Tuesday, October 27, ending his career in front of his home fans.

The opening set was closely contested, but Lehečka secured a crucial break in the 11th game to take it 7-5. The second set proved equally competitive, with neither player managing a break. Lehečka then dominated the tie-break, winning it 7-2 to seal victory in one hour and 53 minutes. Despite the defeat, Wawrinka received a warm farewell from the Basel crowd.

Wawrinka leaves the sport as one of the outstanding players of his generation. He won three Grand Slam singles titles, defeating Rafael Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final before beating Novak Djokovic to lift the French Open trophy in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. He reached a career-high ranking of world No. 3 and collected 16 ATP Tour singles titles.

His achievements also included Olympic doubles gold alongside Roger Federer at the 2008 Beijing Games and helping Switzerland win the Davis Cup in 2014. Wawrinka had announced that the 2026 season would be his last, bringing the curtain down on a career that began in 2002 and lasted more than two decades. He will be remembered for his powerful one-handed backhand and his ability to defeat the very best on the biggest stages.