Three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka retires as Basel farewell ends in 1st-round loss

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Stan Wawrinka’s illustrious tennis career finally came to an end on Tuesday at his home tournament in Basel.

The three-time Grand Slam winner was beaten by eighth-seeded Jiri Lehecka in the first round of the Swiss Indoors, losing 7-5, 7-6 (2).

The 41-year-old Wawrinka’s last shot as a professional tennis player was a backhand that landed wide — to the audible disappointment of the vociferous home crowd.

Wawrinka, who turned pro in 2002, had announced last December that 2026 would be his last year on tour and “Stan the Man” had received warm sendoffs throughout his farewell season

Wawrinka earned his three Slam titles after defeating the then-World No. 1 player in each final. He beat Rafa Nadal to win the 2014 Australian Open and downed Novak Djokovic for both the French Open title in 2015 and the US Open the following year.

Wawrinka, who reached a career-high world ranking of No. 3 in 2014, won 16 tour-level titles.

He also paired up with Roger Federer in a Switzerland team to win the doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The duo helped Switzerland win its first Davis Cup title in 2014.

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