Stan Wawrinka Dreams of Facing Carlos Alcaraz Before Hanging Up His Racket This Year

Stan Wawrinka has faced Jannik Sinner six times but has yet to lock horns with World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Stan Wawrinka Dreams of Facing Carlos Alcaraz Before Hanging Up His Racket This Year

Carlos Alcaraz, Stan Wawrinka (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Tiempo De Tenis)

In Short
  • Stan Wawrinka plans to retire after the 2026 season and dreams of facing Carlos Alcaraz this year.
  • He has a 2-4 record against Jannik Sinner but has never played against Alcaraz.
  • Greg Rusedski believes Alcaraz needs to manage his schedule better to avoid burnout.

Stan Wawrinka will call time on his career after the 2026 season. In spite of being a 41-year-old player, Wawrinka is giving his all in every match he plays and is also challenging the youngsters.

He made the third round of this year’s Australian Open after a four-set win over Laslo Djere and, later, a five-set win over Arthur Gea, before he lost in four sets to ninth seed Taylor Fritz. Wawrinka was last seen in action at the Napoli Challenger, where he suffered an opening-round exit, losing to Matteo Martineau in three sets. He recently sat for an interview with SpazzioTennis during which the Swiss talked about Novak Djokovic‘s long career.

Only he knows how much time he has left, but it’s amazing to see him still contending for the most important titles and being one of the best in the world. It’s incredible to think he can be so competitive at such an advanced age.

Wawrinka has faced Jannik Sinner six times and trails 2-4 in the head-to-head matchups, losing their last four meetings. But Wawrinka has never locked horns with Carlos Alcaraz.

I have played against Sinner several times, and truth be told, I would like to have a different experience. I would love to face Carlos; it’s a dream for this season. It would be very exciting to have him on the other side of the net in a match.

Stan Wawrinka added

The last time Wawrinka played a tour-level match was at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where eventual champion Daniil Medvedev eliminated him in the fourth round in straight sets. The last time Wawrinka played a final was at the 2023 Croatia Open, losing the match to Alexei Popyrin.

Greg Rusedski is not worried about Carlos Alcaraz’s form after his Indian Wells and Miami Open exits

Carlos Alcaraz is gearing up for the clay swing. The Miami Open will conclude on March 29 after Jannik Sinner’s match against Jiri Lehecka. In Miami, Alcaraz, after knocking out Joao Fonseca, suffered a shock third-round exit, with a three-set defeat to Sebastian Korda.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/CARLOS ALCARAZ NEWS)

In Indian Wells, eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev snapped his 16-match winning streak in the semifinals. Former ATP pro Greg Rusedski said he is not worried about Alcaraz’s form, especially when he plays in a Grand Slam. But the Brit also thinks Alcaraz has played a lot of tennis and needs to skip exhibitions to recharge his batteries.

You look at the end of the season, he didn’t really have an offseason. He played a lot of exhibitions in America; he went to the one in Korea before the Australian Open, then he played in Doha as well. So he’s played all the way from the end of the year, finishing number one, to continuing on the merry-go-round. And when you play too much tennis, I hate to say it, but you get a little stale, you get a little bit bored, it’s difficult being week in, week out on the road.

Greg Rusedski said on his Off Court with Greg podcast

Alcaraz will be defending 4,300 points on the clay swing, as last year he lifted the Monte Carlo Masters, Italian Open, and the French Open. In Rome and Paris, he defeated Sinner. Alcaraz will be chasing a three-peat at Roland Garros.

In January, Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic to become the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam. He later beat Arthur Fils in the Qatar Open final.

Also read: Goran Ivanisevic Speaks on the Lack of Finals Between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026