Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka assured this Monday, December 29, that he is “at peace” with his decision that 2026 will be his last season on the circuit, although he insists that he still has goals to achieve.
The 40-year-old Swiss announced this month that he plans to retire, with the United Cup in Perth, which begins on Friday, the beginning of the end for one of the great figures of Swiss tennis.
“Of course, I still feel passion for the game, for the sport that I love,” he stated.
“Everything it has given me, the excitement of playing in different countries, coming back here with so many fans, so much support… I’m going to miss that, for sure,” he added.
“In the last few months I’ve had time to decide whether it would be my last year or not, and for me it’s pretty clear. I’m happy with the decision, I’m at peace with it.”
Wawrinka won the Australian Open in 2014, Roland Garros a year later and the US Open in 2016, at a time when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic dominated men’s tennis.
Former world number three, he is currently ranked 157th after several injury problems, but says he will work as hard as ever this season.
“I still want to play good tennis, I still have goals. Hopefully I can get back to the top 100 and finish with a good ranking,” he commented.
“I want to play the full season, the big tournaments, the main ones, and we will see my ranking in the coming months.”
Wawrinka has 16 ATP titles in his career, although the last one was achieved in Geneva in 2017.
He won Olympic gold in doubles with Federer in Beijing 2008 and was key to Switzerland winning its first Davis Cup in 2014.
Wawrinka leads a Swiss team that also includes world number 11 Belinda Bencic in the mixed-team United Cup, where they share a group with France and Italy.
