Stan Wawrinka’s farewell tour will look very different now following excellent Australian Open campaign

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Stan Wawrinka certainly left his mark on the 2026 Australian Open…

The 40-year-old won his opening match against Laslo Djere, picking up his first Grand Slam victory in 567 days.

Then, in a five-set thriller, Wawrinka defeated Arthur Gea, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, to book his place in the third round.

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It was there that his run came to an end, however, as Wawrinka lost to Taylor Fritz in four sets.

His performances in Melbourne showed there’s still more to come from the three-time Grand Slam champion.

So much so, that his farewell tour will have a very different look from here on…

Stan Wawrinka won’t need to worry about wild cards anymore

Wawrinka was only able to compete at the Australian Open thanks to a last-minute wild card from tournament director Craig Tiley.

The 40-year-old’s ranking before the event wasn’t strong enough for him to gain direct entry into the main draw.

That may not be the case at the remaining three Grand Slams of 2026, though, as Wawrinka now sits 107th in the Live ATP Rankings, thanks to his run to the third round down under.

Live ATP Rankings

For context, the world number 102, Yannick Hanfmann, was the lowest-ranked player who directly qualified for the Australian Open main draw.

If Wawrinka can jump another five or six places in the rankings between now and the French Open, he likely won’t need a wild card.

But even if he did need a wild card, he surely wouldn’t have much trouble getting one…

Doubters who criticised the Australian Open’s decision to give Wawrinka a wild card have gone very quiet.

Any notion that he was undeserving of a spot in the main draw proved ridiculous when he won two matches at the event.

Even before the Australian Open, Wawrinka was impressing at the United Cup, proving he can still compete with the very best in men’s tennis.

With the level Wawrinka has shown so far this year, combined with the star power his name brings, tournament organisers would be making a big mistake not handing him a wild card if needed.

He wasn’t given a wild card for Wimbledon or the US Open in 2025, but you can’t imagine Wawrinka will be snubbed again during his farewell tour.

While the Grand Slam wild cards may not be necessary as Wawrinka edges closer to a top 100 return, he may still need help playing other events on tour.

It’s unlikely he will make enough progress to qualify for the Masters 1000 events or ATP 500 events via his ranking, so he will need wild cards.

Whereas before his trip to the third round in Melbourne, you may have questioned whether he would be able to play those tournaments, there’s now a good chance he’ll be able to say his final goodbyes at a few more events before the end of the year.

In fact, he’s already been given several wild cards.

“I’ve got wildcards for Montpellier, Rotterdam in Europe, and probably Dubai as well. I’m super happy and grateful for the opportunity to play those tournaments,” said Wawrinka during his latest press conference.

It remains to be seen how many events Wawrinka will play in 2026, but if he keeps performing as he did down under, you won’t want to miss any of his matches.

Taylor Fritz reacts after beating Stan Wawrinka in his final Australian Open match

Fritz, as always, was a class act on Saturday and shared some kind words about Wawrinka during his post-match press conference.

“It is tough conditions to play in. I understand completely. I knew going in that the crowd was really going to be behind him and rally him,” he said.

“Yeah, it was cool to just be sitting there and see the whole thing. It’s like I knew the second the video started playing, if I look at Stan [Wawrinka], I’m going to start getting kind of emotional. I get like that.

“I tried to not look at him too much, but it’s cool. I told him at the net what he’s doing is incredible. From just being able to do it at his age, that’s impressive, but more so, like, the mentality of it, like the passion and the love for the game and just the competitiveness, because he’s someone who has absolutely nothing to prove.

“Just to be out there working that hard, just competing, I mean, down a break in the fourth, just competing, I hope that I have that much passion for tennis when I’m older. I told him it’s really impressive.”

After playing his part in Wawrinka’s Australian Open farewell, Fritz will now turn his attention to the fourth round.

Fritz will play Lorenzo Musetti on Monday, January 26.