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Former Grand Slam winner Wawrinka ends tennis career / Photo: © AFP/File
Former Grand Slam winner Wawrinka ends tennis career
Stan Wawrinka bid farewell to tennis as he brought the curtain down on a decorated 24-year career following a first-round exit at the Basel Open on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old Swiss announced earlier in the season that his last tournament as a professional would be the ATP 500-level event in his home country and a 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) defeat by Czech Jiri Lehecka brought an end to the career of the three-time major champion.
Former world number three Wawrinka, along with Andy Murray, was the only player to win multiple Grand Slams in a period dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
He bested Nadal to win his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2014, before beating Djokovic in the French Open final the following season and then again in the US Open title-match in 2016.
Alongside his compatriot Federer, the Lausanne native won the Davis Cup for Switzerland and claimed gold in the doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
On court in Basel, Wawrinka's every point won, as well as several trademark booming one-handed backhands, was greeted by wild cheers from the partisan home crowd.
But Lehecka got his nose in front with a break of serve in the 11th game and sealed the opening set with an ace as he held to love.
A tight second set rumbled towards a tie-break, but it was just a step too far for Wawrinka as his 21st-ranked opponent took firm control to seal the breaker and the match.
T. Jones--BTZ
