Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka will retire from tennis this year.
The Swiss star has said his final goodbyes at several tournaments this year, including the Australian Open and the French Open, and has an opportunity to do the same at Wimbledon later this month, having received a main draw wild card.
You’re the Wimbledon tournament director… which TWO of these players are you giving a wildcard to?
But where and when will he officially retire from tennis?
Wawrinka has now confirmed where he plans to call it quits.
Stan Wawrinka plans to retire at the Swiss Indoors in Basel
During an interview posted on the ‘First&Red‘ YouTube channel, Wawrinka was asked where he plans to retire.
“Probably Basel, at the end of the year in Switzerland, probably there,” said Wawrinka.
“But you know, when you are 41, you need to go week by week!
“Of course, I want to play more; I want to play every week, but I need to be careful, so I’m trying to do the right schedule with where I am right now.”
Wawrinka was then asked whether there was any chance he could reconsider retirement.
“No, absolutely not, impossible,” he said.
“I would love to keep playing, but I know I did everything, I know I cannot do more, I cannot ask my body any more, it’s already difficult daily to keep it at that level, to keep pushing at that intensity.
“I’m happy I’m doing it; I’m happy that I’m playing well for who I am right now, and that I can also play those tournaments to say goodbye.”
The 41-year-old is leaving no stone unturned as he approaches retirement, and has set himself a challenging ranking target.
“I always push myself to be the best player possible, to make sure I don’t have any regrets when I stop,” said Wawrinka.
“My dream would be to stop my career by being in the top 100, that would be my dream at the end of the year.
“It doesn’t matter if I achieve it or not; it will not change my life, but, of course, you need goals to keep going, to keep pushing, and that’s something I would like to achieve.”
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Race position | Name | Country | Points |
| 100 | 110 | Alexei Popyrin | Australia | 630 |
| 101 | 62 | Quentin Halys | France | 626 |
| 102 | 86 | Alex Molcan | Slovakia | 626 |
| 103 | 189 | Aleksandar Vukic | Australia | 614 |
| 104 | 112 | Damir Dzumhur | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 604 |
| 105 | 97 | Martin Damm | USA | 603 |
| 106 | 166 | Jan Choinski | Great Britain | 601 |
| 107 | 87 | Yunchaokete Bu | China | 598 |
| 108 | 113 | Coleman Wong | Hong Kong | 584 |
| 109 | 167 | Reilly Opelka | USA | 571 |
| 110 | 109 | Stan Wawrinka | Switzerland | 563 |
Wawrinka currently sits 110th in the Live ATP Rankings with 563 points.
He trails the world number 100, Alexei Popyrin, by 67 ranking points.
If Wawrinka is to finish the year inside the top 100, he will likely need to make a solid run at a Challenger Tour event, which will be tough, but not impossible.
Due to personal reasons, Wawrinka withdrew from the Mallorca Championships, but should return in time for Wimbledon at the end of the month.
Stan Wawrinka picks the result he would most like to change from his tennis career
Wawrinka was also asked to pick the result from his career he would most like to change.
“I think quarter-finals 2015, in Wimbledon against Richard Gasquet,” he said.
“It was after winning the French Open, I was playing well, I was happy, it was going well, even at Wimbledon.
“I lost 6-4 in the final set, great match, he played a little bit better than me. But I wish I would have had the chance to play a semi-final one time, there.”
Wawrinka won the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open, but never reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon.
He came closest in 2014 and 2015, losing in the semi-finals to Roger Federer (four sets) and Gasquet (five sets) respectively.
Stan Wawrinka’s Grand Slam record
| Grand Slam | Best performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Australian Open | Winner – 2014 | 45-19 | 70% |
| French Open | Winner – 2015 | 46-20 | 70% |
| Wimbledon | Quarter-finalist – 2014, 2015 | 23-18 | 56% |
| US Open | Winner – 2016 | 46-16 | 74% |
Wawrinka never quite found his best tennis on the grass, and has now explained why.
“Wimbledon would have been the dream, but unfortunately I stopped in the quarter-finals,” he said.
“I think grass, of course, was always a bit more challenging for me, and it was more difficult to play on grass with my game.
“Grass was always more challenging, and also the season is short, and I’m someone who likes to get a lot of matches and a lot of confidence in my game to go deep in tournaments.
“In the end, I always faced better players, and unfortunately, I couldn’t make a better result.”
Wawrinka will have one last chance to impress at Wimbledon when this year’s Championships begin on Monday, June 29.
