Basel, 28 October (H.S.): Swiss tennis great Stan Wawrinka brought the curtain down on his illustrious career on Tuesday, suffering a first-round defeat at his home tournament, the Swiss Indoors. The three-time Grand Slam champion was beaten 7-5, 7-6 (2) by eighth seed Czech player Jiří Lehečka.

The 41-year-old’s final shot as a professional tennis player was a backhand that sailed wide of the court, leaving spectators disappointed as his remarkable career came to an end.

Wawrinka announced in December 2025 that the 2026 season would be his last as a professional. Throughout his farewell season, he received emotional send-offs from fans at several tournaments, marking the end of an era for one of Switzerland’s most accomplished tennis players.

Ahead of his final match, Wawrinka told the ATP Tour website that his primary ambition throughout his career had been to give everything he had on the court, compete relentlessly and leave nothing to regret.

“All I wanted throughout my career was to give everything I had, have no regrets, keep fighting and give 100 per cent in every match. I have always done that out of respect for myself, my opponents, the tournaments, the fans and everyone involved,” he said.

“For more than 20 years, that has been the most important thing to me. And that is the only way to say goodbye to the sport — without any regrets,” he added.

Wawrinka won all three of his Grand Slam titles by defeating players who were ranked world No. 1 at the time in the finals. He beat Rafael Nadal to win the Australian Open in 2014, before defeating Novak Djokovic in the French Open final in 2015 and the US Open final in 2016.

He reached a career-high ranking of world No. 3 in 2014 and won 16 tour-level singles titles during his career.

Beyond his individual achievements, Wawrinka also enjoyed success in team competition. He won the men’s doubles gold medal alongside compatriot Roger Federer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The pair also played an important role in helping Switzerland secure its first-ever Davis Cup title in 2014.

Wawrinka leaves the sport remembered for his powerful groundstrokes, fighting spirit and ability to rise to the occasion on the biggest stages of tennis.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar