Swiss tennis veteran Stan Wawrinka concluded his French Open career Monday with a heartfelt farewell at Roland Garros, falling to Dutch competitor Jesper de Jong 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in what marked his final appearance at the prestigious tournament.
The 41-year-old athlete, who captured his first major championship at the 2014 Australian Open before claiming victories at Roland Garros and the U.S. Open in following seasons, plans to conclude his professional tennis career before the year ends.
While Wawrinka thrilled supporters with a strong showing to the third round in Melbourne this year, his Paris farewell was cut short when De Jong, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser, dominated the opening set and maintained composure to secure victory despite a temporary setback.
“Thank you all. It’s hard, I don’t want to say goodbye to you here,” Wawrinka said, before thanking tournament director Amelie Mauresmo and French Tennis Federation chief Gilles Moretton.
“It’s thanks to tournaments like this one that I dreamed of becoming a tennis player. I grew up with the goal of competing here one day.
“It was an amazing experience to be able to share this moment here on court. Well done to Jesper for the match.”
Spectators at Court Simonne Mathieu called out Wawrinka’s name throughout the match, celebrating his powerful shots and exploding with enthusiasm when the Swiss player evened the match at one set each. However, De Jong quickly regained control.
The 25-year-old, ranked 106th globally, only reached the main tournament after Frenchman Arthur Fils withdrew due to injury. He claimed the third set following an intense early battle and sealed the victory in a closely contested fourth set.
“It’s not about me today,” the 25-year-old De Jong said in a brief on-court interview.
“A funny story about Stan, he played my coach when I was a ball kid. I don’t want to say he’s old. But it’s all about Stan today, especially the way he fought.”
Following a brief video montage displayed on the stadium’s large screen, a visibly moved Wawrinka praised the crowd for making his final Paris appearance memorable.
“Three hours of emotion, three hours of battle thanks to you, thanks to the support you’ve given me all these years,” Wawrinka added.
“I wanted to keep going, to go as far as possible until I was 41 to experience emotions like today. I’ve been lucky enough to experience them for a very long time. You never want to say goodbye when you’re passionate about something.
“I know it was the end; I gave everything for this sport, and I know it’s the right choice. I would have loved to be back here, in front of you but unfortunately this was my last match at Roland Garros.”
A second commemorative presentation followed, featuring tributes from Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Gael Monfils honoring Wawrinka’s distinguished career.
