MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥� Stan Wawrinka said goodbye after his loss to Taylor Fritz and then grabbed two beers from a courtside ice box, cracked the cans with the Australian Open tournament director and saluted the crowd.
鈥淐heers everybody!鈥� said after Saturday鈥檚 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 third-round loss to No. 9 Fritz. 鈥淎nd thank you so much.鈥�
Wawrinka won the first of his three Grand Slam titles in Australia in 2014.
With a 4 1/2-hour, five-set win over 21-year-old French qualifier Arthur Gea in the second round, Wawrinka became the first man 40 or older to reach the third round of a Grand Slam since Ken Rosewall at the 1978 Australian Open. His 49th five-set match at a major was also a record.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure it鈥檚 the best statistic to have,鈥� he said of 40-plus milestone, 鈥渂ut I will take it.鈥�
Wawrinka said before the start of the 2026 season that this would be his but he added that it wasn’t just a farewell tour. He’s still putting on the work and still getting results.
After Wawrinka’s last match at Melbourne Park, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley joined him on court for a ceremony and a small tribute on the stadium screen at John Cain Arena.
After the formalities, Wawrinka wanted a few final words.
鈥淣ormally we talk on court after a final. Today is not a final, so I won鈥檛 make it too long,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hank you for the wildcard invitation 鈥� to have one last chance to say goodbye to the people in Melbourne.
鈥淚t was my last time as a tennis player here, unfortunately. I had so many emotions here the last 20 years. I鈥檓 sad to leave, but it鈥檚 been an amazing journey.鈥�
Then he added, more ab-lib, 鈥淣ow I can enjoy. If you don鈥檛 mind, I鈥檇 like to share a beer with Craig.鈥�
Fritz advanced to a round of 16 match against No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, who held off Tomas Machac 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in a 4 1/2-hour marathon earlier Saturday on John Cain Arena. That match was stopped for about 10 minutes in the fifth set to close the roof when the stadium’s was invoked.
Fritz, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up, enjoyed the indoor conditions, firing 30 aces and just one double-fault in four sets against Wawrinka.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really, really tough match obviously, the environment as well,鈥� Fritz said of Wawrinka’s Australian finale. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 blame anyone in the crowd for cheering for Stan here. It鈥檚 amazing what he鈥檚 out here doing.
鈥淚 have so much respect for the passion and the drive that it takes to be doing what he鈥檚 doing this week.鈥�
The 38-year-old Novak Djokovic later Saturday became the , and took time to pay tribute to a longtime friendly rival.
鈥淧roud to call him a friend and a rival and someone that definitely has inspired me,鈥� Djokovic said of Wawrinka. 鈥淚 mean, no doubt with his longevity, with commitment to the game. He鈥檚 so passionate about it.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a great champion on and off the court. Very likable guy. He did everything the right way, and he deserved every applause he had this tournament.鈥�
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