Stan Wawrinka ended his Roland Garros journey with a first-round loss to Jesper de Jong on Monday, closing his Paris chapter during his final season on the ATP Tour.
Wawrinka’s Emotional Farewell at Roland Garros
Playing on Court Simonne-Mathieu, the 2015 champion was greeted by a full house and a celebratory mood. Every clean strike from the former world No. 3 drew loud applause, a reminder of a long-running bond with the French crowd that was especially strong from 2014 to 2016. At 41, he said the emotions he feels in moments like these are what kept him competing.
Wawrinka departs Roland Garros with a 46-20 record at the tournament, highlighted by his title run in 2015 and a runner-up finish in 2017. He leaves with pride in what he accomplished on the Paris clay and in the legacy he built there, even as saying goodbye proved difficult.
Throughout his career, Wawrinka measured success less by statistics than by his drive to improve and to test himself against the best. In Paris, he faced every member of the sport’s so-called Big Four, earning three wins over Andy Murray and one each against Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. He often spoke of pushing his own limits rather than chasing specific records, seeing challenges like beating the game’s dominant players as the route to the biggest prizes.
For a player who once dreamed simply of turning professional and cracking the Top 100, his Roland Garros farewell underscored how much further he went—and how deeply his connection with the Paris crowd endured. As he leaves the ATP Tour, Wawrinka’s legacy will be remembered not just for his titles, but for the passion and determination he brought to the sport.