Stan Wawrinka’s journey at the Australian Open is over.
Wawrinka, 12 years on from winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the event, played his final Australian Open match against Taylor Fritz.
Wawrinka battled admirably but was unable to overcome the American, losing the match 7-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the Melbourne Arena.
Wawrinka, who recently surpassed Roger Federer’s Grand Slam record, announced in December 2025 that the 2026 season would be his last on the Tour.
Taylor Fritz, who is set to face Lorenzo Musetti on Monday, posted a heartwarming message on social media, paying tribute to Wawrinka.
Who has impressed you most so far at the Australian Open?
Taylor Fritz pays tribute to Stan Wawrinka
In an Instagram post, Fritz remarked on the privilege of sharing the court with Wawrinka.
He said: “Week two locked in. Big respect to Stan Wawrinka for a tough battle, an honor to share the court with him on his last Melbourne run.”
After the contest on Saturday, Wawrinka paid tribute to the Australian Open fans, many of whom will remember Wawrinka’s 2014 Australian Open triumph.
Wawrinka, seeded eighth at the event, defeated Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych on his way to the final in Melbourne, before beating Rafael Nadal to claim his first Grand Slam title.
Wawrinka went on to win two more major events: the 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open. Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic in both finals.
Wawrinka remains the only ATP player to win all three of his Grand Slam titles by defeating the world number one in the final.
Stan Wawrinka disrupted the ‘Big Three’s’ dominance
When Wawrinka retires, he will be remembered for his one-handed backhand, competitive attitude, and upsetting the dominance of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Wawrinka is one of only six players, other than the big three, to win a Grand Slam title between the 2005 French Open and 2022 US Open.
The other players to do so were Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Murray, Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev.
Rate Carlos Alcaraz’s chances of winning the Australian Open out of 10
Murray and Wawrinka won three Grand Slams each, while the other major winners have one Grand Slam title to their names.
