Wawrinka’s career ends with Basel first-round loss

Stan Wawrinka’s professional tennis career ended with a first-round defeat to Jiri Lehecka at the Swiss Indoors in Basel on October 27. The Swiss three-time Grand Slam champion lost 7-5, 7-6 in his final match, played at his home tournament during his farewell season. The 41-year-old had announced in December that 2026 would be his last year on tour. His exit came against Lehecka, a Czech player ranked No. 21 before the tournament, after two closely contested sets. One match report said Wawrinka’s final professional shot was a backhand that landed wide. Wawrinka’s career spanned more than two decades. He won 16 tour-level titles, including the Australian Open in 2014, the French Open in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. He reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in 2014 and recorded 63 wins over top-10 opponents, according to a tournament preview. Each of his three major titles came against a player who was then ranked No. 1. Wawrinka beat Rafael Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final and Novak Djokovic in the finals at Roland Garros in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. He also won Olympic doubles gold with Roger Federer at the 2008 Beijing Games. The pair later helped Switzerland win...