Wawrinka Readies For Last Dance In Principality

Stan Wawrinka has seen a lot during his 20+ years on Tour.

The three-time Grand Slam champion, who won his lone ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in 2014, reflected on changes to the game as he prepares for his emotional final appearance at the tournament.

“When you’re playing, you see the evolution, and you try to adapt to it, so it’s difficult to notice a big change,” said Wawrinka, who has announced that 2026 will be his final season on tour.

“For me the biggest change has been the balls. The balls completely changed the way you had to play. The game has become more physical and with changing conditions the game style has become more similar on every surface. So it’s complicated to mix it up.

“The schedule has also changed a lot with [most] Masters 1000s going to two weeks. And the level of course is now better.”

Preparing for the tournament, Wawrinka practised with fellow veteran Gael Monfils, who is also working through his final year on tour.

“He’s one of my best friends on tour,” Wawrinka said at his media conference Saturday. “We’ve practised so many times, not just at tournaments, but sometimes in Switzerland. We’ve always had amazing fun together. It was great that we both got a wild card here and had a chance to have one last practice on centre court. We enjoyed it a lot.”

Wawrinka plays Argentine Sebastian Baez in the first round, with the winner to meet top seed Carlos Alcaraz. Wawrinka is making his first tour-level appearance since falling to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev in the second round of Dubai.

Now 41, he said that he didn’t request wild cards into Indian Wells and Miami.

“I didn’t want to go that far,” he said. “Travelling is not easy after more than 20 years on tour. I felt that if I wanted to play the full year and still be physically and mentally fit, it was better not to take that trip.”

Wawrinka, who won the Australian Open in 2014, Roland Garros in 2015 and the US Open in 2016, needs 12 additional match wins in 2026 to reach 600 career match wins. The former World No. 3 is currently 6-8 on the year.

In February, the 16-time tournament winner returned to the Top 100 for the first time since July 2024.

In 2014 Wawrinka snapped an 11-match losing streak to beat countryman Roger Federer 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in the championship match. It was just one of three wins Wawrinka earned against the 20-time Grand Slam champion. Federer won 23 of 26 career meetings.