<\/p>\n
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland reacts after the first round men’s singles tennis match against Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Thibault Camus\/AP Photo\/Thibault Camus<\/p>\n
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland waves to fans after the first round men’s singles tennis match against Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Thibault Camus\/AP Photo\/Thibault Camus<\/p>\n
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland reacts after the first round men’s singles tennis match against Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Thibault Camus\/AP Photo\/Thibault Camus<\/p>\n
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland reacts after the first round men’s singles tennis match against Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Thibault Camus\/AP Photo\/Thibault Camus<\/p>\n
From left: Roland Garros tournament director and former tennis star Amelie Mauresmo, Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland and French tennis federation President Gilles Moretton pose for a picture after the first round men’s singles tennis match between Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland and Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Thibault Camus\/AP Photo\/Thibault Camus<\/p>\n
PARIS (AP) \u2014 Stan Wawrinka waved a fond goodbye to the French Open after losing in the first round on Monday.<\/p>\n
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The 41-year-old Swiss, the 2015 champion and 2017 finalist, is retiring at the end of the season. He made his final Roland Garros appearance 21 years after his first.<\/p>\n
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Jesper de Jong finished off Wawrinka 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 with a whipped forehand winner, then urged the fans to applaud Wawrinka, whose face was almost as red as the baking-hot clay. Temperatures in sun-soaked Paris hit 33 degrees C (91 F).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard, it\u2019s hard to say goodbye to you here,\u201d an emotional Wawrinka said. \u201cIt\u2019s because of Roland Garros that I wanted to become a tennis player.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was given an ovation at Court Simonne-Mathieu, where he got fans to do a Mexican wave before leaving. He was scheduled to face Arthur Fils but the rising French star pulled out of the tournament with a hip issue.<\/p>\n
Wawrinka got the crowd going, at times asking for more encouragement with a broad grin. He applauded the spectators back, tapping his racket after winning a point. One fan held up a sign with \u201cStan the Man\u201d written on it, another with \u201cStan still the Man.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He knows it will be hard to let go \u2014 although he still has Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to come.<\/p>\n \u201cFor more than 20 years I experienced these emotions, you never want it to stop,” Wawrinka said. “I have given everything for this sport.\u201d<\/p>\n His stunning 2015 run to the title saw him defeat heavy favorite Novak Djokovic in the final after downing another all-time great, Roger Federer, in the quarterfinals. Wawrinka stood out that year as much for his eye-catching pink-checkered shorts as for his destructive backhand.<\/p>\n Those shorts fed his happy-go-lucky appearance and he reinforced that image by celebrating with Champagne long into the night. But as cavalier as he sometimes seemed, Wawrinka was anything but casual and always trained fiercely hard.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Later Monday, Ga\u00ebl Monfils plays in the night session. The 39-year-old Frenchman is also retiring at the end of the year.<\/p>\n De Jong, who is 25, gave Wawrinka a timely reminder of his veteran status.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was playing against my coach (Bas Van Bentum) when I was a ball kid. I don\u2019t want to say you\u2019re that old,\u201d De Jong said, drawing a smile from Wawrinka. \u201cIt\u2019s all about Stan today, the way he was fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n Wawrinka retorted: \u201cI know I played against your coach, it doesn\u2019t make me any younger.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He was hugged on court by tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, before sitting and watching footage of his matches down the years. He was shown video messages from Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, men\u2019s No. 1 Jannik Sinner, reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, and Monfils.<\/p>\n At his physical peak, the barrel-chested Wawrinka had huge stamina and was one of the few who beat Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray at the Grand Slams.<\/p>\n Wawrinka beat Nadal in the the Australian Open final in 2014 and downed Djokovic again in the U.S. Open final in 2016, meaning all three of his majors were won against the No. 1 player. Nadal, however, dispatched him in straight sets in the 2017 French Open final.<\/p>\n He was an Olympic champion in doubles alongside Federer in 2008 and they won the Davis Cup for Switzerland in 2014.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cYou are a legend of our sport,\u201d said Monfils, who later faced countryman Hugo Gaston on Court Philippe-Chatrier.<\/p>\n<\/a>
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