Stan Wawrinka will have one more big stage at the Australian Open. He will play against world number 9 Taylor Fritz in the night session on Saturday for a place in the round of 16.
23.01.2026, 10:06
SDA
Stan Wawrinka is aware that he can no longer turn back the clock completely. "I know that I'm no longer at the level I was ten years ago, both physically and in terms of my game," the 40-year-old from Vaud emphasizes time and again these days. But even at this very advanced age for a tennis pro, he still has the level to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament and delight the fans.
At his last Australian Open before he ends his career at the end of the year, the 2014 champion has been given a wildcard and his third-round match against Taylor Fritz has therefore been scheduled as a night session (07:00 Swiss time) on the second-largest court, the John Cain Arena, which seats a good 10,000 people. The Swiss will - of course - be the clear underdog.
Soon to retire as a liberation
Although he won the first two duels with Fritz, it feels like it was in a different world and time. The last encounter went to the American three years ago, and on clay, the 2024 US Open finalist's weakest surface.
There is also the question of how well Wawrinka can recover from Thursday's four-and-a-half-hour effort against Arthur Gea. What's more, Saturday is set to be the hottest day in Melbourne with temperatures of up to 40 degrees. Probably not an advantage for the oldest player to reach the 3rd round of a Grand Slam tournament since 1978, but the extreme heat should have subsided a little by the evening.
Wawrinka has nothing to lose and, as always, will throw everything into the match. Since deciding to retire and making his decision public, he has seemed truly liberated. He has trained excellently in preparation, feels fit and has proven this with one marathon match after another since the beginning of the year.
Close to the top 100
Wawrinka hasn't made it further than the third round at a major tournament since the Australian Open six years ago, when he only lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. Regardless of the result against Taylor Fritz, however, he has long since proven that this is not a farewell tour "for fun", but another season with full effort.
The Lausanne native will have almost achieved one of his goals after the Australian Open anyway. Even if he loses, he will improve to around 110th place in the world rankings and thus already be close to the top 100 he is aiming for. As he only has a few points to defend until early summer, there is a good chance that he will not have to worry about a wild card before Paris and Wimbledon.
