Stan Wawrinka has officially bowed out of clay-court tennis after playing his final event on the surface.
Still going strong at the age of 41, the ATP legend is set to call time on his glittering career at the end of the 2026 season.
Wawrinka will retire at the Swiss Indoors Basel later this year, but he is keeping himself busy between now and then.
And his latest venture took him to the Estoril Open in Portugal, where Wawrinka suffered defeat in his opening match.
Why do you think Stan Wawrinka was never considered to be on the same level as Andy Murray?
Stan Wawrinka loses last ATP match on clay at Estoril Open
Wawrinka was defeated by Roman Andres Burruchaga in Estoril, thus playing his final ATP match and tournament on clay.
The veteran showed his class once more in the first round tie, threatening to come back and win after losing the first set.
Ultimately, however, his Argentine opponent held out to claim a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory after a two-hour, 29-minute battle.
| Stan Wawrinka | Roman Andres Burruchaga | |
| 59/116 (51%) | Service points won | 54/99 (55%) |
| 45/99 (45%) | Return points won | 57/116 (49%) |
| 104/215 (48%) | Total points won | 111/215 (52%) |
Demonstrating his iconic one-handed backhand, Wawrinka impressively saved three match points during the closing stages of the clash, giving fans plenty to cheer about.
But he fell just short of producing a memorable victory in his final clay-court event, with the ATP calendar shortly switching to hard courts.
Sharing his thoughts on clay, the Swiss veteran said: “I grew up on clay. I grew up practising on clay and watching clay-court tournaments, so clay was always special for me.”
READ MORE: Stan Wawrinka says if he is looking at becoming a tennis coach once he retires from the sport
Stan Wawrinka’s ATP clay-court record
Wawrinka has enjoyed a sensational ATP career, which has involved 16 titles and a rise to number three in the world rankings.
And he has managed to impress across all surfaces, although clay has certainly been one of his success stories.
| Year | Titles | Tournaments |
| 2017 | 1 | Geneva (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 2016 | 4 | US Open (Outdoor/Hard) Geneva (Outdoor/Clay) Dubai (Outdoor/Hard) Chennai (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2015 | 4 | Tokyo (Outdoor/Hard) Roland Garros (Outdoor/Clay) Rotterdam (Indoor/Hard) Chennai (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2014 | 3 | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo (Outdoor/Clay) Australian Open (Outdoor/Hard) Chennai (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2013 | 1 | Oeiras (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 2011 | 1 | Chennai (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2010 | 1 | Casablanca (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 2006 | 1 | Umag (Outdoor/Clay) |
The Swiss icon boasts a 202-124 win-loss record on the surface, on which he has claimed seven ATP titles.
Wawrinka also reached the final of the French Open on two occasions, beating Novak Djokovic in 2015 before losing to Rafael Nadal in 2017.
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