Stan Wawrinka retires from professional tennis: Decoding his career stats
What's the story
After playing over two decades, Swiss tennis icon Stan Wawrinka has retired from professional tennis. The three-time Grand Slam champion played his last match at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, his home tournament. The 41-year-old lost to eighth seed Jiri Lehecka in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6 (2). Wawrinka's final shot as a professional was a backhand that went wide, drawing an audible reaction from the home crowd.
Career highlights
'All I wanted was to give everything'
Wawrinka, who turned professional in 2002, had announced his retirement plans last December.
Ahead of his final match, he told the ATP Tour website that his career was driven by a desire to give everything and have no regrets.
"For me, all I wanted in my career was to give everything, to have no regrets," he said. "That was always the most important thing for more than 20 years."
Major wins
Three major titles, all against world No. 1 players
Wawrinka's career was highlighted by three memorable Grand Slam titles, all against the top-ranked players at that time.
He beat Rafael Nadal to win the 2014 Australian Open and then defeated Novak Djokovic in the following year's French Open final.
The Swiss ace clinched his third and final Major title at the US Open in 2016, overcoming Djokovic once again.
Career accolades
Other notable achievements and milestones
Wawrinka reached a career-high ATP ranking of number three in 2014.
He also enjoyed considerable success alongside his compatriot Roger Federer, winning the doubles gold medal for Switzerland at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Together, they also helped Switzerland win their maiden Davis Cup title in 2014.
Notably, Wawrinka also won a Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo (2014).
Information
A look at his career numbers
In his illustrious career, Wawrinka won 16 tour-level singles titles. He also finished as the 2017 French Open runner-up, losing to Nadal. His Grand Slam win-loss record reads 160-75. Overall, Wawrinka bowed out with a singles record of 590-394.
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Oldest man to this feat
Earlier this year, Wawrinka reached a significant landmark at the Australian Open. At 40, he became the oldest man since Ken Rosewall (1978) to reach the third round at a Grand Slam, as per ATP.