Stan Wawrinka is all set to his 21st and final appearance at the French Open. The veteran had announced in December of last year that he will be retiring after the conclusion of the 2026 season. Both him and Gael Monfils have received wildcard entries into the Roland Garros. With Wawrinka not being in great form this season, he has made his ambitions clear for the Grand Slam. The 2015 French Open champion wants to enjoy playing on the clay-courts of Paris for one final time and is hopeful of winning a few matches.

“I know it’s going to be strong, with all the memories I have in Paris. here are few tournaments that really stand out, that occupy a special place, and Roland-Garros is one of them, that’s for sure. I hope I can win a few matches to enjoy these courts and the crowd one last time,” he said in an interview with Roland Garros.

Reflecting on his long French Open journey, Wawrinka harked back to his first-ever appearance in 2005 when he defeated Nicolas Massu and James Blake. He highlighted how much these victories had meant to him at that time.

“It was in 2005 that it all really started for me. My dream was to play at Roland-Garros on the big courts, so it was exceptional to be able to do it. With these two big games won, my dream has come true. These first steps were a huge accomplishment for me,” he said.

Wawrinka’s best moment at the Roland-Garros came in the 2015 edition when he lifted his second Grand Slam title after defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. Talking about the tournament in detail, the former World No. 3 remarked that he wasn’t that confident in the opening few rounds but played his best tennis in the later stages and especially in the final.

“I never felt unstoppable. I was unlucky enough to be confronted with these great legends. It’s clear that in this match, I played my best tennis. In fact, that year, I didn’t arrive at the tournament with confidence. I didn’t go into the matches with the certainty that I could win them. On the court, I just stayed in the moment and that’s how I played my best tennis. I grew up on clay, watching the land, following Roland-Garros with the dream of playing it one day. It’s ingrained in me. It was really the dream scenario, especially with this level of play against Novak,” he added.

Currently ranked No. 125, Wawrinka suffered with fitness issues at the recently concluded Italian Open. Following a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6, 6-1 victory over Stefano Travaglia in the first qualifying round, he pulled out just minutes before his second-round clash against Pablo Carreno Busta. The reason behind his withdrawal was the physical pain caused by the two hour and 18-minute clash against Travaglia.

Fitness issues aren’t the only concern for Wawrinka coming into the French Open. He currently has an underwhelming win-loss record of 7-9 this season and hasn’t been able to make it past the first round in many tournaments.

Wawrinka hasn’t been able to improve his form in the clay swing so far and is now undergoing his final prep for the Roland Garros with the Geneva Open. Fortunately, the veteran has made a promising start to his home event.

Stan Wawrinka starts strong at the Geneva Open

Wawrinka put in a brilliant effort and came out victorious in his first-round clash Raul Brancaccio. The match went down to the wire as the Italian came right back after losing the first set. The deciding set would go into a tiebreaker where the crowd-favorite prevailed and won the match 6-2, 4-6, 7-6.

This was a highly important win for Wawrinka as a defeat in the first round would have been a major hit to morale heading into the French Open. But now the question remains if the 41-year-old has enough fuel left in the tank to give a tough fight to Alex Michelsen in the next match.

The American has reached the R16 with his convincing 7-5, 6-3 victory over Sebastian Baez. Michelsen has never faced Wawrinka in a tour-level match before, so no one really knows what to expect from this encounter.

Will Wawrinka be able to reach the quarterfinals of his home event for the first time since 2018, or will Michelsen spoil his plans and go on to record a monumental victory? Drop your predictions in the comments!