NEW YORK – In the last change of the last Grand Slam tournament ever played, Stan Wawrinka sat in his chair, leaning forward and confident with his arms.
At last, bowing his head, taking a drink, he covered himself with a towel, and tried to find some life in his legs, while he waited for the applause to build up.
Wawrinka fans packed into every inch of the Grandstand court Monday at the US Open, hoping to see one down-the-line winner shake off the majesty of one hand, one fist pumping more loudly, one finger pointed to his temple after a huge point – a signature celebration from a short time ago as an antidote to the dominance of tennis’ Big Three.
Try as they might want Wawrinka to exist, the "Let’s go Stan" the song faded away. A moment later, he walked to the net and hugged Matteo Berrettino, who had beaten him 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 in the first round. Then he came to the middle of the court, clapping his hands, his heart beating.
"I’m looking for God’s lamb, for sure" Wawrinka said, his voice cracking. "I’m gonna miss it."
At 41, Wawrinka dies. Not because he wants to or because he falls out of love with the mass-released diminishing returns in recent years, but because professional tennis is a limited resource that has finally been exhausted.
And although Wawrinka will officially wait until October, when he can finish in his home country at the Swiss Indoors, his finish here in New York felt like a major chapter in tennis history. The USTA honored him with a post-match ceremony, and honored fans in their seats until the end of the season.
Because to anyone who follows the sport, what Wawrinka accomplished from 2014-16 will go down as something that stands the test of time. In an era where a small group of players dominated almost every major, Wawrinka somehow crashed the party to win the Australian Open, the French Open and here 10 years ago the US Open.
Beating Novak Djokovic in those two finals and Rafael Nadal in one, that’s a resume that will get better at an age known for enjoying expensive red wines.
"I try to do the right thing as best I can;" he said. "For the greatest of mine, as always said."
Stan Wawrinka addresses the crowd after his loss to Berrettini at the US Open.
This would be the last time he would ever perform in a Grand Slam crowd.
The crowd knows it… and so it is.
One. At last Time. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/aEcuAep1kw— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 31, 2026
In many ways; "the term is era" has been the theme of this tennis season. We saw Djokovic physically decline in real time, until his first loss around the day. Nadal released a four-part Netflix documentary series on his pain years ago and decided he didn’t really want to make the decision over the last few years of injuries. Roger Federer has been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Others, like Kei Nishikori, who never won a Slam but helped give texture to his age, are also gone.
Wawrinka, the tank of a barrel chest man, never broke down physically like the rest of them. He was indeed old, but even in the last two years he had been traveling around the world. He wanted to do it so badly that when his team couldn’t reach the big things, he played challengers in places like Perugia, Italy and Iasi, Romania.
At his peak, it was one of Djokovic’s worst nightmares, beating him four times in majors. In the end, he was relegated to the minor leagues, and it didn’t matter to Wawrinka or the fans who showed up for the match.
That’s how much he loves it. And that’s why it was so important to finally give the US Open Wild for this last ride – but only after the first choice, American Patrick Kypson, pulled out last week with an injury.
"For me it is most convenient to play in this tournament;" Wawrinka said. "Knowing that the last time is here is never easy, that’s for sure, especially when you love something so much and enjoy it so much."
Frankly, it would have been embarrassing for the USTA not to get the moment that Wawrinka helped deliver on Monday, with a long line of fans waiting outside the Grandstand just for one last look. Thus, Grand Slams traditionally award most of the wild cards to players from the host country, as well as mutual wild cards to players from other Grand Slam host countries. But the three-time Slam favorite going into retirement on the definitive tour is another story, and the USTA’s explanation for Wawrinka’s initial exclusion does not hold up to scrutiny.
"When you’re just out of the draft and you’re a young American up-and-coming player, you have to be given an opportunity, and that’s what it was;" Craig Tiley, chief executive of the USTA, said. "At the same time, Stan knew that if he wasn’t the material and the player that we developed with skill – and we have to give a lot of credit to Patrick Kypson, because it’s not often a player does what Patrick did, and this was when he knew in the middle this week that he wasn’t 100% healthy to compete – he did a decent thing. What an opportunity for us Stan. Everyone knew Stan through the mission."
Thanks to Kypson, the USTA had a chance Monday to correct its mistake. After the match, it was a nice touch for director Eric Butorac to present the tournament for Wawrinka with a fake photo among the images of the three career-defining titles.
It belongs in a museum. Because while Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have dominated the history of tennis in this era, the other side of that coin has been their most emotionally and mentally fragile challengers.
Among players born in the 1990s, only three have won Slams: Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev, who each have one. A couple generations have passed through the sport and none of them really had what it took to be in a big semifinal or final to shake things up.
Wawrinka does not suffer from the same problem. This is a guy who won 16 ATP titles – a good number indeed, but a bunch of players who never made it to the majors won more. But when in reality, he looked Djokovic and Nadal in the eye, raised his level to the top, so that he can go and beat them in the biggest moments.
It matters now and it will matter a hundred years from now when people look back at the latest toy records.
It’s also what Wawrinka doesn’t think about when he considers his place in the history of the game.
"They never try to do it for me just remember;" he said. "I can only see this year, when I announced that my year is the love that I receive in every match that I play and in every tournament that I play. I feel so grateful to be with him.
"It also showed me that maybe I did the right thing, always trying to give all those 20 years, always trying to fight, always showing up, always trying to do my best, always trying to push my limits in the game. This is what was most important to me, because I was playing with the fans."
Thankfully, he got this season in New York, where he was honored with a special farewell to his leading career.