Stan Wawrinka's Emotional Farewell at the US Open

Stan Wawrinka’s New York goodbye was never supposed to happen. Not like this, not on this court, and certainly not on a wildcard that arrived so late he was already back in the Swiss mountains when the call came.

Yet there he was on the Grandstand, 41 years old, eyes glistening, soaking in one last wave of noise at the US Open. A three-time major champion, a 2016 winner in this city, standing in defeat to Matteo Berrettini but wrapped in the kind of affection reserved for players who have given the sport every last drop.

A late reprieve, a fitting stage

Tournament organisers initially passed him over for a wildcard. On paper, it made a kind of cold sense. On emotion, it never did.

Then Patrick Kypson withdrew. The phone rang. Wawrinka, already home, already off the trip, got his reprieve on Wednesday and tore up his plans. One more flight. One more walk through the corridors of Flushing Meadows. One more chance to say goodbye properly.

The decision proved inspired. The 8,000-seat Grandstand filled early, fans queuing long before the first ball, determined to be part of what might be his final act at a major. They didn’t come for a routine first-round match. They came for a farewell.

Chances missed, ovation earned

On court, Wawrinka did what he has always done: he fought. The one-handed backhand still cracked through the New York air, the competitive fire still burned. Against the 2021 Wimbledon finalist, he carved out chances that would have turned the night into something even more improbable.

He held a set point in the first set. Three more in the second. Each time, Berrettini held firm, saving them, turning tight moments into a straight-sets win and racing away with the third as Wawrinka’s resistance finally waned.

The scoreline said routine. The match said anything but. Every missed opportunity only tightened the bond between crowd and veteran, every rally a reminder of the player who once tore through Novak Djokovic here to lift the trophy.

Heart on his sleeve, and in his hands

When it ended, the tennis stopped but the noise grew. Wawrinka stood at the baseline, made a heart shape with his fingers, then placed his hand firmly on his chest. The gesture was simple, the message unmistakable.

The cheers rolled around the Grandstand. He urged them higher, waving his arms, feeding off the sound one last time. Then he started knocking balls into the stands, souvenirs for a crowd that understood they were witnessing the close of a chapter, not just a match.

“One of the reasons I played until 41 was to live these moments,” he told them, voice heavy with emotion. He spoke of his gratitude for the wildcard, of how important it was to finish here, a decade on from his US Open triumph. He thanked them “for all these years.”

From the side of the court, Berrettini joined in the applause, acknowledging the man across the net as much as the opponent he had just beaten.

A career reflected in a farewell

After the ceremony, Wawrinka received a photo montage of his 2016 title run from chief executive Craig Tiley, a visual reminder of the night he stood at the very top of this tournament. The images framed what the crowd already knew: this was not just another former champion taking a bow. This was a competitor who had squeezed everything out of his talent.

Celebrated for that backhand and for a stubborn, almost defiant will, Wawrinka summed up his feelings in the only way he knows how — by talking about the work.

He said he was “super grateful” for the send-off. Grateful because it told him he had done things the right way: always fighting, always showing up, always pushing himself to the limit over two decades on tour. The response from the stands, he said, is what mattered most. That was the true measure.

“This is what for me was the most important thing – what I get from the fans when I play,” he explained.

The scoreboard will record a straight-sets loss to Matteo Berrettini. The memory will be of a packed Grandstand, a late wildcard, and a 41-year-old champion walking away from his last US Open match with his heart full and the crowd still on its feet.