Stan Wawrinka shares big update to retirement questions surrounding him at 39
Stan Wawrinka dismissed speculations about retirement in a recent interview after his impressive win over Brandon Nakashima at the Stockholm Open. The Swiss confirmed that the end of his career is near but, as of now, he continues to enjoy competing and training.
The World No. 217 has suffered multiple injury setbacks in the past few years, but 2024 has been a more stable season for the Swiss veteran. While he has participated in many events, early exits have been a recurring theme.
However, at the 2024 Stockholm Open, Wawrinka delivered one of his best performances of the year, defeating Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4. During an exclusive interview with SpilXperten after the match, the 39-year-old dismissed retirement speculations for this year.
"I have never said that I am making any decision to retire myself from tennis this year. I've said I'm getting older, and of course I'm near the end, but I'm still playing well and I'm competitive when I play," Wawrinka said.
"I enjoy what I do and I enjoy waking up and going to training and still having the opportunity to play in such a nice tournament like this. As long as I enjoy it, I will continue to push myself a little bit," he added.
Wawrinka reflected on his tennis career, saying he felt grateful to have fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a professional player. He acknowledged the success achieved, including winning numerous trophies—some of them major titles—and remains committed to pushing himself further.
Wawrinka is a three-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 3. Over his career, he has claimed 16 singles titles and won a gold medal in doubles with Roger Federer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"The motivation must come from within" - Stan Wawrinka looks no further than himself for motivation to continue playing
In the same interview, Stan Wawrinka stated that a player has to enjoy what they are doing and be passionate about it to keep going.
"Tennis is a game, so you have to enjoy what you do and if you are passionate about what you do, you have to keep going and that's what I'm going to do," Wawrinka said.
"The motivation must come from within. If you have to force yourself to stay motivated, it means you are not passionate enough about what you are doing. It's not easy every day, but I love being a tennis player, so it's easy to push myself," he added.
Currently, Wawrinka will attempt to continue playing at a high level as he takes on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Thursday, 17 October, in the second round at the Stockholm Open. This will be the first battle between the pair on tour and the winner will face either top seed Andrey Rublev or Frenchman Alexandre Muller in the quarterfinal.