French Open 2026 Results: Stan Wawrinka Defeated in First Round of Final Roland Garros Campaign

Wawrinka will retire as a three-time Grand Slam champion after winning his first major at the 2014 Australian Open at the age of 28.

He ended Djokovic’s streak of 14 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals by winning their quarterfinal decider 9–7 and then A hurdle defeated Rafael Nadal In the Melbourne final.

The Spaniard hurt his back in the warm-up – but those who thought Wawrinka had got lucky and was unlikely to repeat the trick may soon be reconsidering.

After his Paris victory, the final part of the trilogy came in 2016 in New York, when Wawrinka once again defeated Djokovic from a set down to win the US Open.

Just five minutes before the final, a tearful Wawrinka was shaking with nerves in the locker room, declaring she was “completely empty” after the gruesome showpiece.

He played 27 sets over that fortnight and spent 21 hours and 49 minutes on court, including saving a match point against Britain’s Dan Evans in the third round.

He calmed his nerves, he said, by giving himself a blunt pep talk — a common move for a man who inspired many GIFs with his trademark finger pointing to his temple.

Some players abstain from alcohol during their careers. Wawrinka was not one of them, and he would not be the same player if he tried to suppress his natural inclination to enjoy the company of others from time to time.

“I think we’re all different,” Wawrinka said, as he pointed out that Djokovic – who once denied himself even a square of chocolate for 18 months – is a 24-time Grand Slam champion and still playing at 39.

“When you sacrifice so much for your tennis, when you work so hard to get there, I think if you want to celebrate, you should celebrate, and that’s what I did after winning the Slam.

“If you don’t celebrate after winning a Slam, you never celebrate, because tennis never stops.”