Stan Wawrinka’s illustrious career came to a close on Tuesday at the 41-year-old’s home tournament, the Swiss Indoors Basel.
With a packed home crowd vocally supporting him, Wawrinka fell 7-5 7-6 to eighth seed Jiri Lehecka at the ATP 500 event.
The fans’ favourite Wawrinka ascended to a career-high No 3 in the ATP rankings in 2014 and amassed 16 tour-level titles, including three major trophies.
Wawrinka earned his three Slam titles after defeating the then-world No 1 player in each final.
He secured his first major triumph at the 2014 Australian Open, downing Rafael Nadal in the title match. Wawrinka won Roland Garros in 2015 and then the US Open in 2016, beating Novak Djokovic in both finals.
Wawrinka had already announced before the season that he would end his career in 2026.
Wawrinka will always be remembered for his famous one-handed backhand which was one of the most sumptuous shots seen in the game.
Lehecka will face Daniel Altmaier in the last 16.
“He won the biggest tournaments, so for me to be here in his moment is a little bit weird,” Lehecka said.
“But at the same time, it’s a pleasure and I will never forget this match.”
Tennis pays tribute to Wawrinka
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