Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka had an unusual way of celebrating their run to the 2008 Beijing Olympics final. Wawrinka played the “fire,” while Federer pretended to warm his hands over him. The Swiss teammates enjoyed the silly routine enough to repeat it two days later, after winning the gold medal.

At the time, Federer was still chasing an Olympic gold, while Wawrinka was establishing himself on the tour. On August 16, 2008, the pair defeated Sweden’s Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in the men’s doubles final. Six years later, they shared another landmark moment, helping Switzerland win its first Davis Cup title. Looking back on their time together in Beijing, Federer would recall how much fun he had with Wawrinka.

Now, as Wawrinka’s professional career comes to an end, Federer has paid tribute to his longtime friend, revisiting the memories they made together. In his first Story, Federer shared a picture of Wawrinka lying on the floor while he looked at his fellow Swiss star.

He wrote, “Congratulations on an amazing career, my friend,” and tagged Wawrinka.

Federer’s second Story brought back another special memory. He shared a picture of the two players standing together with their Olympic gold medals. Alongside the picture, he wrote, “So many incredible memories together.” “Thanks for carrying me to the Olympic gold,” he added. 

Federer achieved almost everything possible in singles tennis. However, the Olympic doubles gold gave him another major achievement to celebrate with his countryman.

A third Story featured more pictures from their time together. 

Instagram stories were not the only place where Roger paid tribute to Stan Wawrinka. Federer also paid tribute to Wawrinka during his farewell ceremony at the Swiss Indoors Basel. According to Swiss broadcaster SRF, Federer sent a video message for the occasion. 

In his video, Federer said, “Dear Stan, I would like to congratulate you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible career.”

He ended his message with some heartfelt words: “I miss you. I love you, my boy. Enjoy the moment. See you soon. Bye bye.”

Federer was not the only tennis legend who wanted to celebrate Wawrinka’s career.

According to SRF, Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Martina Navratilova also sent video messages during the farewell ceremony in Basel.

“You’re one of the most passionate tennis players I’ve ever met. I have enormous respect and admiration for you as a person, but also for what you’ve achieved and continue to accomplish,” Novak Djokovic said. 

Tennis TV also shared a tribute featuring Australian player Alex de Minaur. 

“One of the purest ball-strikers that the game has ever seen,” said Alex de Minaur in the tribute video, played on Tennis TV.

The praise reflected what made Wawrinka special. His powerful one-handed backhand could trouble the best players in the world. 

Stan Wawrinka played the final match of his career at the Swiss Indoors Basel on October 27, 2026. He lost 7-5, 7-6(2) to Czech eighth seed Jiri Lehecka in front of his home crowd. The defeat brought his 24-year professional career to an end. 

After the match, Wawrinka spoke to the ATP Tour. 

“For me, all I wanted in my ​career was to give everything, to have no regrets, to always ‌fight, ⁠to always give 100% in every match — out of respect for myself, for the opponent, for the tournament, for the fans, for everybody,” Wawrinka told the ​ATP website.

Wawrinka finished his career with 16 ATP singles titles, 3 Grand Slams and a career-high ranking of World No. 3.

Stan Wawrinka’s Grand Slam glory and his special partnership with Roger Federer 

Federer and Wawrinka shared a close friendship and enjoyed success together in doubles. However, their singles rivalry was a different story.

Federer won 23 of their 26 matches. Wawrinka managed just three victories, all on clay. One of his most memorable wins came in the 2015 French Open quarterfinals, when he defeated Federer.

But their relationship was about much more than their singles results.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the two Swiss players joined forces to win men’s doubles gold. They defeated Sweden’s Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson in the final to claim the title.

Their success together continued years later. In 2014, Federer and Wawrinka helped Switzerland win its first Davis Cup title. They defeated France in the final to give their country another major tennis achievement.

As far as Wawrinka’s career, it becomes even more special when we look at the players he faced during his best years. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic dominated men’s tennis for much of that period. Yet Wawrinka still won three Grand Slam titles, beating Nadal and Djokovic in major finals.

In the 2014 Australian Open, Wawrinka defeated Rafael Nadal in the final to win his first Grand Slam title. Then, in the 2015 French Open, he beat Novak Djokovic in the final at Roland Garros. His last Grand Slam title came in the 2016 US Open, where he defeated Djokovic again to win his third major title.

Wawrinka reached 18 Grand Slam quarterfinals, 9 semifinals, and 4 finals. He won three of those four finals. His fourth final came at the 2017 French Open, where Rafael Nadal defeated him.

These numbers show that Wawrinka could win on the biggest stages, even if he did not reach those stages as often as the sport’s most consistent players.

Unlike the Big Three, Wawrinka did not regularly dominate entire seasons. However, when he found his best form at a Grand Slam, he could challenge anyone. His three major titles proved that he could turn his best performances into some of the biggest wins of his career.

For Federer, Wawrinka’s retirement closes another chapter in Swiss tennis. Their singles matches created many memories, but their Olympic gold and Davis Cup win showed their strength as teammates.

Federer’s message, “Thanks for carrying me to the Olympic gold,” added a touch of humour while celebrating their friendship. Their journey reminds fans that even in an individual sport, some of the best moments come from winning together.

What is your favourite Wawrinka-Federer moment? Let us know in the comments.