Stan Wawrinka Shares Bold Top 100 Goal for Farewell Season

Stan Wawrinka, at the Australian Open, reached a Grand Slam third round for the first time since the 2023 US Open.

Stan Wawrinka Shares Bold Top 100 Goal for Farewell Season

Stan Wawrinka (Image via X/ATP Tour)

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Stan Wawrinka will retire at the end of the 2026 season. But even on his farewell tour, Wawrinka wants to give his all so that he can finish the season inside the top 100.

The Swiss is in Montpellier for the ATP 250 tournament, Open Occitanie. He arrived in Montpellier on the eve of the tournament and is playing both singles and doubles. In singles, he is scheduled to lock horns with Hamad Medjedovic, while in doubles, he and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will lock horns with the pair of Hendrik Jebens and Ray Ho.

In the pre-tournament press conference, the 40-year-old was asked about his main objectives for the farewell season. Wawrinka wants to play a full season, but it will depend on the wildcard as well, saying his schedule will depend on his ranking, results, and the invitations.

The objective is to be competitive, to enjoy myself on the pitch, of course, as has always been the case throughout my career. Enjoying with the fans too, it’s something I’ve always appreciated and one of the reasons why I continued so late. I’d like to move up the rankings and finish in the top 100 at the end of the year. For me, finishing my career in shape and competitive is really what I’m looking for.

Stan Wawrinka said

Before arriving in France, Wawrinka was Down Under for the United Cup and the Australian Open. Switzerland made the final in the former event but failed to beat Poland.

Stan Wawrinka won’t reconsider his retirement decision

Stan Wawrinka has been wowing the tennis world. He is defying age and challenging the youngsters and going the distance to win matches. In the United Cup, Wawrinka played five matches and won just one, against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the group stage. Except for his match against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, all four matches ended in three sets, including against Hubert Hurkacz in the final.

Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka (Image via X/Roland Garros)

Then at the Australian Open, Stan the Man first overcame Laslo Djere in four sets, then won a five-set thriller against Arthur Gea before falling to ninth seed Taylor Fritz in four sets in the third round.

In the pre-tournament press conference at the Open Occitanie, Wawrinka made it clear that even if he continues to produce strong performances this season, he won’t be reconsidering his decision to hang up his racket.

It gave me confidence in what I do on the pitch in matches. But that doesn’t guarantee results for the rest of the season either. I’m going to have to fight to get wins; every match is complicated, every match is difficult, it can quickly turn in both directions. Whatever happens, no matter how high I rank or what the results are between now and the end of the year, for me, the end-of-year ranking doesn’t change anything about my decision.

It was the first time Wawrinka reached the third round of a Major since the 2023 US Open. Last year in Grand Slams, Wawrinka crashed out in the first rounds of the Australian Open and the French Open and didn’t play at Wimbledon and the US Open. Wawrinka, the winner of three Grand Slam titles (2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open, and the 2016 US Open), hasn’t reached a Major semifinal since reaching the 2017 French Open.

The last time Wawrinka made a singles final was at the 2023 Croatia Open, where Alexei Popyrin denied him the win. The last time he won a singles event was at the 2017 Geneva Open against Mischa Zverev. Since then, he has played four finals, including the 2017 Roland Garros final, losing to Rafael Nadal.

Also read: Former British No.1 Says Aryna Sabalenka Will Develop Mental Scars from her Grand Slam Final Defeats