Stan Wawrinka might be 40, but he’s still proving he knows his way around a tennis court after his latest win in Athens.
Botic van de Zandschulp is the latest player to fall foul of Wawrinka’s brilliance, with the Swiss star’s battling qualities helping him to a three-set victory over the Dutchman.
Wawrinka has said he wants to keep playing in 2026, and wins like this one will certainly help him take a lot of confidence into the New Year.
Going into the final endeavours of 2026, there is still a lot to play for, and after this latest big win for the three-time Grand Slam champion, one player will be cheering him on from afar.
Felix Auger-Aliassime could now get help from Wawrinka
Next up for Wawrinka in Athens is Lorenzo Musetti, and the Italian’s remit is crystal clear. He either wins the event or fails to qualify for the ATP Finals.
Auger-Aliassime made the clever decision to skip Metz after reaching the final at the Paris Masters, and it remains to be seen whether the decision will backfire at all.
Wawrinka can ensure that it doesn’t, however, with Auger-Aliassime now hoping for a big favour from the veteran as his career dwindles to a close.
The 2016 US Open champion knows all about making the end-of-year finals, having been a three-time semifinalist during his peak.
Now, he’s ranked down at number 159 in the world, but as this win over Van de Zandschulp proves, he can still mix it with some of the players higher up the ATP rankings.
Musetti vs Wawrinka head-to-head
The two players have only previously met once, and the signs are overly positive for Auger-Aliassime.
Musetti won their only other meeting, which came all the way back in 2020 when the pair met at the Rome Masters 1000 event in the round of 64.
The win was a relatively comprehensive one too, with Musetti winning 6-0, 7-6 to leave Wawrinka tumbling out of the tournament before he’d even got going.
What happened the last time Felix Auger-Aliassime made the ATP Finals
Having sat in the top eight in the world back in 2022, the Canadian made his only appearance at the finals – and it didn’t go particularly well.
Although he managed to claim a win over Rafael Nadal, he was beaten by Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz to miss out on a place in the semifinal.
Now, as a more polished performer, Auger-Aliassime will be looking to get back to the tournament to flex his credentials once again at the event.
If Wawrinka does the business over Musetti, Auger-Aliassime can step up his preparations for the event, with his place set to be confirmed.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
