Stan Wawrinka’s farewell season on the ATP Tour is off to a winning start in Australia.
In December, Wawrinka announced his retirement, stating that the 2026 ATP season will be his last.
The Swiss, who claimed three Grand Slam titles during the peak of the ‘big three’ era, kicked off his final campaign at the United Cup in Perth with a victory over France’s Arthur Rinderknech.
Why do you think Stan Wawrinka was never considered to be on the same level as Andy Murray?
Wawrinka came back from a set down to beat Rinderknech 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, to give Switzerland a 2-0 lead in the tie, which soon became 3-0 when the mixed doubles team emerged victorious.
Following his triumph over the Shanghai Masters finalist, the 40-year-old said he was ‘super happy’ with his performance.
Stan Wawrinka’s reaction to beating Arthur Rinderknech
In his press conference after the match, Wawrinka said: “It’s amazing to start the year like this for me. It’s my first time in Perth. A lot of support today, so it was an amazing feeling to play such a difficult match.
“A tough condition, of course. More than three hours, so it doesn’t help, but super happy with the fight, with the performance, and to help the Swiss team get to 2-0 up.”
“I think the discipline I had with myself [was working]. The fighting. I always try to fight, always try to find a solution.
“But I stayed really positive all the match. I was really focused on myself, trying to be a bit more aggressive, trying to find the solution, and really happy with the performance.”
When asked how he will get the body ready to play again tomorrow, Wawrinka replied: “We’ll see (laughing).
“At my age, it doesn’t work as fast, but just jump on the bus right now, and I’m going to see. I’m going to get a good night of sleep and be ready for tomorrow night, hopefully.”
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Stan Wawrinka said he would have loved a quicker win
Wawrinka continued: “I would have loved a quicker win, but no, you know, this is why I keep playing. I’m passionate about the game.
“I’m always going to push my own limit. I’ve said I’ve been working hard this offseason. Even if it’s my last year, I don’t just want to play to play. I want to play to compete and try to win.
“So, of course, I’m super happy with the performance today, with the win. It was a tough fight, a big fight, but I stayed quite positive and really focused on my own discipline during the game.
“I try to find a solution, always try to find a better way of playing. When I got the opportunity to finish, I went for it.”
Wawrinka will face Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in his next match at the United Cup.
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