Stan Wawrinka has stated his appearance at this week’s Swiss Indoors in Basel was not a farewell and has vowed to continue playing next season when he will turn 40 in March.
The three-time Grand Slam champion recently set a new record at his home tournament where he became the oldest player to win a main draw match after beating Adrian Mannarino. Wawrinka is currently the oldest player in the top 500 on the PIF ATP rankings. He made his ATP Tour debut in 2003 and has played in 72 Grand Slam events. The former world No.3 has won 16 ATP titles and earned more than $37M in prize money in his career.
Wawrinka’s Basel run ended on Thursday after he lost 7-6(2), 7-5, to sixth seed Ben Shelton. After that match, he addressed his future in the sport.
“It was always my plan to continue,” Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger quoted Wawrinka as saying. “The way I feel, tennis-wise and physically, how well I train, the level of play I reach. But of course, there is also the reality of the results and the world rankings. If I no longer have the opportunity to play in the big tournaments and the ones I usually enjoy, that could affect my motivation. So far that hasn’t been the case.”
So far this season, the Tour veteran has recorded a win-loss record of 9-16 with his best result being a run to the semi-finals in Stockholm earlier this month. In Stockholm, he defeated Andrey Rublev which was his first victory over a top 10 player since August 2023.
Due to his current ranking of 169th, Wawrinka has had to rely on wildcards to enter into certain events without having to play qualifying. According to the ITF, he has been handed a wild card for five ATP Tour events since January which includes the US Open.
“Of course, it’s not my goal to play forever thanks to wildcards,” he commented. “It’s clear that I have to do everything I can to get back up the rankings. Now it’s up to me to do the right thing on the court to improve my rankings and have the opportunity to choose the tournaments that I enjoy. But my passion for tennis is undiminished.”
As for 2025, Wawrinka hopes to continue building on his recent results on the Tour which has contributed to his decision to continue playing.
“I am convinced that I still have what it takes to play very well next year,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that I will be in the top 10 again. But the way I have played and felt in the last few weeks spurs me on to keep pushing myself. Even when I lost, I played strongly. I am still living the dream that I had as a little boy. I see no reason why I should stop.”
