Stan Wawrinka ends career with defeat in hometown Basel

Swiss tennis player Stan Wawrinka, a former world number three and three-time Grand Slam champion, has ended a professional career that lasted 24 years. The 41-year-old played his last match at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Switzerland, an ATP Tour event, where he lost in the first round 5-7, 6-7(2) to Czech player Jiri Lehecka, ranked 21st. Wawrinka is currently ranked 151st.

Bookmakers had Lehecka as the strong favourite, offering odds of 1.16 on his victory.

How the match went

Wawrinka was slightly better on points won behind his first serve (84% to 81%), but fell behind on second-serve points (42% to 86%). The total points tally was 64 to 83 in favour of the Czech. Wawrinka converted none of his 2 break-point chances, while Lehecka took one of six. Wawrinka hit 9 aces and made 3 double faults, against 1 ace and no double faults for his opponent. His winners-to-unforced-errors ratio was 14-30, compared with 26-25 for Lehecka.

The home crowd cheered every point Wawrinka won, including several of his trademark one-handed backhands. A farewell ceremony was held afterwards: he made a lap of honour to thank spectators and then walked down the players' tunnel for the last time.

Career highlights

Wawrinka and Britain's Andy Murray were the only players to win multiple Grand Slam titles during the era dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Swiss won his first major at the 2014 Australian Open, beating Nadal. The following season he defeated Djokovic in the French Open final, and he repeated that result in the 2016 US Open final.

Together with fellow Swiss Federer he won the Davis Cup with Switzerland, and he also took the doubles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

After the match, Lehecka told Sky Sports that it felt a little strange to be there at such a moment, but that it was a great honour and he would never forget the match.

Farewell event

Wawrinka announced in June that he will hold a farewell event called "One last backhand" in Geneva on 19 December, with Federer and Murray also taking part.