2015 champion Stan Wawrinka bowed out of the French Open one final time after losing out in a close four-set affair to Jesper De Jong. The 41-year-old battled valiantly, and had more than his share of chances, but ultimately fell short in his final French Open appearance, as his 2026 farewell tour ticked off yet another checkpoint.
Going Out On A High
Since announcing that 2026 would be his final year on tour, the three-time Major champion has played some of his best tennis in recent years. The Swiss star reached the third round at this year’s Australian Open, his best result down under since 2020.
He rolled back the years in round two, when he came from two sets down to defeat Arthur Gea, before eventually being knocked out by then-World No.9 Taylor Fritz in four tight sets.
The former champion and fan favourite was deservedly awarded a wildcard to the French Open, and was not without support in his first round defeat. On another day things may well have been different; Wawrinka generated 11 break points compared to De Jong’s six, but just couldn’t quite convert them and win the big points. Nonetheless it was a performance to be proud of from one of the oldest players to ever play in a Major tournament.
A Clay Career To Be Proud Of
Clay has arguably been the most successful surface for Wawrinka over the course of his illustrious career. His win percentage on the orange dirt is higher than that of both hard and grass courts, and despite just one of his three Major titles coming on clay, his only Masters 1000 triumph was on the dirt of Monte-Carlo.
His path to victory at the 2015 edition of the French Open is one of the most impressive runs to a Major title ever, topped off by an incredible performance in the final against none other than Novak Djokovic.
Wawrinka defeated his fellow countryman and 2nd seed Roger Federer at the quarterfinal stage, before beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on home soil to reach his first French Open final.
He saved his most impressive performance for the biggest stage, in what some people call the greatest Grand Slam final performance ever. Going into the final not many gave Wawrinka a chance. He was coming up against a monster in Djokovic, who had just become (at the time) the second man to defeat the great Rafael Nadal at the French Open.
The expectation was that Djokovic would win his first French Open title and complete the career Grand Slam, but Wawrinka had other ideas. He produced a stunning performance, completely outpowering the Serb, painting the lines with absolute rockets to capture his second Major title.
He reached the French Open final again two years later, but ran into king of clay, Nadal, who made relatively easy work of him, convincingly defeating the Swiss man in straight sets. But, even to make a Grand Slam final in the era of the “Big 3” was an achievement in itself.
Wawrinka’s final match on Parisian clay marks the end of an era, as the sun is almost set on yet another career of a player from that era of tennis.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports