First it was Novak Djokovic’s body failing him on Sunday night. Less than 24 hours later, the US Open claimed another notable veteran name in Stan Wawrinka — though we all saw this coming.
The 41-year-old Swissman’s Grand Slam came to an end with a straight-sets loss to Italian Matteo Berrettini, 7-6 (4), 7-6(3), 6-0 in a jam-packed Grandstand within the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing. It was a near-mirror match to when these two last met, with Berrettini bouncing Wawrinka in four tiebreak sets at Wimbledon.
But this ride in Queens was about saying goodbye for Wawrinka, and he got that. His body is not broken, nor has he fallen out of love with methodical, ceaseless devotion to the game. This is simply the acceptance that he cannot compete at the highest level anymore.
“Amazing atmosphere, that’s for sure,” Wawrinka, who will retire at the end of this season, said. “That, for me, was the most important [thing], having one more opportunity to play in this tournament. Of course, I was super happy to receive the wild card to come here.”
Monday night was Wawrinka’s 63rd singles match at the US Open — the summation of a journey that spanned 21 years and a ton of memories in New York. Most of those came within a remarkable three-year run between 2014 and 2016, when he invaded tennis’ “Big 3” of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Djokovic to win each of the four Grand Slams: The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. His US title came in 2016 when he bested Djokovic in four sets.
From 2013 to 2016, he advanced to at least the US Open quarterfinals, with semifinal appearances in 2013 and 2015.
For the memories that he gave New York tennis fans, they got the chance to thank him one last time. The Grandstand, which holds just 8,125 people, felt like it was holding double the amount as they rained adoration upon Wawrinka, who — even in defeat — played up to the crowd by pitting each section’s vocal cords against each other before cannoning balls into the seats.
Those same fans stayed glued to their seats well after the result went final, when the US Tennis Association (USTA) honored Wawrinka with a post-match ceremony.
“For me, the most important thing is one more opportunity to play in this tournament,” Wawrinka said. “Knowing that it was my last time here, it’s never easy, that’s for sure, especially when you love something so much and you enjoy it so much…
“I was super grateful with the support I received. New York is a really special city. It became one of my favorite cities by far to come here, to spend time. I have many friends here. It’s the city that never sleeps. I think here the US Open is always an amazing atmosphere. You can feel the support. You can feel the way in America they love the sport. They like to make a show around that, and as a player, it’s always enjoyable… I’m gonna miss it for sure.”
And America, specifically Queens, will undoubtedly miss him.
For more on Stan Wawrinka and the US Open, visit AMNY.com
