Stanislas Wawrinka will hang up his racquet at the end of 2026, the \u200dthree-time Grand Slam champion announced on Friday, bringing down the curtain on a 24-year professional career that saw \u200bhim gatecrash tennis’s elite during the sport’s golden era.<\/p>\n
Switzerland’s Wawrinka<\/a>, who turned professional in 2002, will turn 41 in March, capping \u200ca journey that transformed him from perennial underdog to giant-killer.<\/p>\n Capable of \u200cplaying ferocious tennis across all surfaces during his peak, the late bloomer’s greatest triumphs came when it mattered most, stunning the tennis world by defeating the sport’s biggest names on the grandest \u2060stages.<\/p>\n Nicknamed ‘Stanimal’, Wawrinka conquered Rafa Nadal<\/a> to claim the 2014 Australian Open \u200cbefore he toppled Novak Djokovic<\/a> twice – at the 2015 French Open \u200band 2016 US Open – each time beating the world number one in the final.<\/p>\n “Every book needs an ending. \u200dIt\u2019s time to write the final chapter of my career as a professional tennis player. 2026 will be my \u200dlast year on tour,” \u200cWawrinka wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n “I still want to push my limits and finish this journey on the best note possible. I still have dreams in this sport. I\u2019ve enjoyed every part \u2060of what tennis has given me, especially the emotions I feel playing in front of you.”<\/p>\n