Stan Wawrinka’s hopes of a fairytale run at the Dubai Tennis Championships were put to an end by Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday.
Wawrinka was defeated 2-6, 3-6 by Medvedev, who will face American player Jenson Brooksby in the quarter-finals.
At 40 years old, Wawrinka is competing in his last season on the ATP Tour; and he thanked the Dubai Tennis Championships workers following his final appearance at the event.
When Wawrinka retires at the end of this year, he will be remembered as the man who successfully challenged the dominance of the ‘big three.’
Stan Wawrinka or Andy Murray… who is the greater player? Let us know why below 👇
History has repeated itself, with a ‘big two’ – Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner – now dominating on the ATP Tour.
After exiting the Dubai event, Wawrinka offered some advice to players looking to challenge the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner.
Stan Wawrinka advises ATP players to focus on themselves when trying to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Speaking to reporters after the match, Wawrinka said: “I think for sure right now Jannik and Carlos are different level. But there will be opportunity in the future. There are always going to be opportunity for player.
“For me the most important is to look about yourself, to look about what you can improve, how you [are] going to improve, what you can do the best to improve your game physically, tennis-wise, and to not look about who I need to beat this guy or I need to beat this guy.
“At the end of the day you don’t play the top player every match. So the most important is how you going to play all year long, how you going to play the match when you don’t face them because most of the player.
“It’s of course difficult challenge when you have two player like that, that they are so far better tennis-wise and physically, they’re winning all the big titles.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have won the past nine Grand Slams combined, with the pair contesting three of the past five finals.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner in Grand Slam finals…
| Tournament | Winner | Score |
| 2025 French Open | Carlos Alcaraz | 4–6, 6–7, 6–4, 7–6, 7–6 |
| 2025 Wimbledon Championships | Jannik Sinner | 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 2025 US Open | Carlos Alcaraz | 6–2, 3–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
Alcaraz is currently the dominant force: he is on a 12-match win streak to start the year, which has culminated in him winning the Australian Open and Qatar Open.
The pair look set to dominate the men’s tour for the foreseeable future, unless a young star like Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien or Joao Fonseca can take a big leap in their play.
Mensik is perhaps the most likely challenger. The Czech star, 20, has already won a Masters 1000 title [2025 Miami] and recently defeated Sinner in Doha.
Joao Fonseca will be the man to unsettle Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly over men’s tennis – Prove us wrong!
Daniil Medvedev’s rematch with Wawrinka
As per OptaAce, Daniil Medvedev has defeated a former Grand Slam Champion for the first time since Rotterdam 2025.
Remarkably, the Grand Slam champion Medvedev defeated at the 2025 Rotterdam Open was Stan Wawrinka.
Medvedev, seeded second at the event, defeated Wawrinka 6-7, 6-4, 6-1, before losing to Matt Bellucci in the round of 16.
After the 2025 contest, Medvedev praised Wawrinka’s level
“He played good, but it’s Stan, he always plays good,” the Russian said. “Of course, he is not at his peak when he was winning Grand Slams.
“I never played him when he was at this level, and it’s a pity because I would love it as a challenge. I am pretty sure there would be some matches where he would chop me, and somewhere I would fight.
“Stan is also an amazing guy. In my opinion, he is one of the humblest, nicest guys on Tour.”
