Stan Wawrinka has been rolling back the years in 2026, despite his imminent retirement from tennis.
The three-time Grand Slam champion confirmed he would step away from the game at the end of the 2026 season.
Wawrinka has already returned to the ATP top 100 after a stellar start to the year, following his final appearance at the United Cup and reaching the third round of the Australian Open.
The Swiss legend has confirmed the aspect of tennis he will miss the most when he brings his illustrious career to an end.
Stan Wawrinka will miss the ’emotion’ of tennis in retirement
In a conversation with Diede de Groot, Wawrinka reflected on his career during his appearance at the Rotterdam Open.
Speaking about his upcoming retirement, he confirmed: “I started when I was 8 years old, just as a kid who wanted to play tennis and it quickly became a passion.
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“The sport is an amazing school of life in general and the emotion you get from the sports. For me, that’s what I’m going to miss the most because there will be no place where I can find it.
“So all these aspects for me is going to be it’s going to be tough to not have it anymore.”
Wawrinka reached the third round of the Rotterdam Open, but he was beaten in straight sets by Alex de Minaur.
Wawrinka has been ever-present so far this year, competing in four tournaments in the first section of the ATP Tour.
Where will Stan Wawrinka play next?
Wawrinka’s climb up the ranking might help him gain access into more tournaments, although the Swiss star will likely have plenty of wild card opportunities in his retirement year.
The star received a wild card for Montpellier and the Australian Open, both of which he made full use of by picking up three victories.
What is your best memory of Stan Wawrinka?
Wawrinka’s next tournament is set to be the Dubai Tennis Championships, which he confirmed after his Australian Open access.
The star revealed: “I supposed to play, got wildcard for Montpellier, Rotterdam in Europe, and probably Dubai as well.”
It’s no surprise that Wawrinka wants to play in Dubai one final time, as he is a previous winner of the tournament.
He defeated Marcos Baghdatis in 2016 to earn his sole Dubai title, and he also defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber and Nick Kyrgios.
