‘I’m Closer to the End’- Stan Wawrinka Following His Mid-Match Retirement in the First Round of the US Open 2022

Stan Wawrinka is hinting towards a farewell after being one of the top-tier players over the past decade. The Swiss player could not perform in the opening round of the US Open because of an injury. After his latest withdrawal, the 3-time Grand Slam champion indicated towards retirement as his performance dampens on the tour.

Wawrinka has established his legacy by defeating the best to win three grand slam titles in his career. Though of late, his performance has not reached the level that saw him consistently reach the latter stages of major events and that is unfortunate not just for the players, but also for all tennis enthusiasts.

Stan Wawrinka hints at retirement after a disheartening end to his US Open campaign

The Swiss player could not perform his best in the first round of the US Open 2022. He withdrew following the second-set tie-break, and this brought the whole stadium to a standstill. Although Wawrinka was not at his best in the first set, he started gaining momentum in the second set.

However, he kept on calling a trainer throughout the match to look at his finger, though the nature of the injury is still unclear. Reaching up to the second tie-break, the injury became too severe to continue, and he eventually went and shook hands with his opponent Corentin Moutet.

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Later on, he said, “I know that I’m closer to the end. That’s for sure. It’s a reality.” Although, he accepted his setbacks, he has not completely given up, yet.

He said, “I will never be able to play as well as I did in my career because I’m getting older, but I believe that I still have some good and big results in me and that’s why I keep gonna fight a little bit.” 

The rise and fall of Wawrinka

The Swiss star became a challenge for the top players to get through during the peak of his career. He clinched three grand slam titles at the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open, and 2016 US Open. Interestingly, during all these achievements, he had defeated the world no.1 to clinch the titles.

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He achieved a career-high ranking of world no.3 in 2014. After 2017, the player has battled with various injuries and this has hindered his growth.