New York (AFP) – At 41 years old, the Swiss Stan Wawrinka played his last match in a Grand Slam tournament on Monday at the United States Open, where he lost in his debut against the Italian Matteo Berrettini.

First modification: 09/01/2026 - 01:23

Wawrinka received a tribute from the around 8,000 fans in New York and from the tournament he won in 2016 by defeating Novak Djokovic in the final.

The Swiss, who will retire at the end of the year, won three Grand Slam trophies, including one from the Australian Open in 2014 and another from Roland Garros in 2015.

Berrettini, after prevailing 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3) and 6-0 in almost three hours, declined to celebrate in the middle of the court to give all the attention to Wawrinka.

"It's lovely to share the court with this legend of the sport," the Italian congratulated him amidst applause from the Grandstand audience, the third largest court in the US Open.

"I was a child when I saw him win Grand Slam titles, it is a dream come true," said the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, now fallen to 43rd place in the ATP.

Wawrinka's farewell at the US Open was only possible due to the injury of American Patrick Kypson. The organizers had not initially invited the Swiss, who even published a farewell message, but they offered him the "wild card" when the Kypson quota opened.

"It's been more than 20 years since I first came here to New York," the former world number three recalled. "I remember when I played qualifying the first year. It was awesome for me to feel the atmosphere of New York and the energy of this tournament."

"Here I found a way to play my best tennis. It was always special. One of the reasons why I continued playing until I was 41 was to live moments like the one you gave us tonight," he thanked.

Invited to the other three Grand Slam tournaments this year, Wawrinka reached the third round of the Australian Open, but was also eliminated in his debuts at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

"It was important for me to have the opportunity to finish the fourth Grand Slam, here in New York, ten years after having won," he said as his voice broke. "I'm going to miss him a lot."

In June, Stan the Man announced a farewell evening on December 19 in Geneva in the company of retired Roger Federer and Andy Murray and Frenchman Gaël Monfils, who is also about to end his career.

© 2026 AFP

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