The Sun Sets On Stan Wawrinka’s Grand Slam Career After U.S. Open Loss to Matteo Berrettini

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka’s remarkable major career came to an emotional conclusion Monday at the 2026 US Open, as Matteo Berrettini defeated the 41-year-old Swiss 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-0 in the first round.

NEW YORK — Stan Wawrinka wanted one more match at the US Open.

He got it.

And although the ending was not the one the three-time Grand Slam champion hoped for, the 41-year-old Swiss left the Grandstand court Monday night having completed one of the most remarkable Grand Slam careers of his generation.

Wawrinka fell to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-0 in the opening round of the 2026 US Open, ending his career in the four major championships.

It was an especially emotional farewell because Wawrinka’s final Grand Slam match came at the tournament where he captured the biggest title of his career exactly 10 years ago.

“I want to thank you all for all these years,” Wawrinka said after the match.

“One of the reasons I played until 41 was to live these moments. I’m very grateful for this wildcard. It was very important for me to finish here, where I won a Grand Slam 10 years ago.”

Wawrinka Had His Chances

The final scoreline hardly tells the story of the first two sets.

Wawrinka repeatedly threatened to take control against the 30-year-old Berrettini, but the Italian produced his best tennis when he needed it most.

In the opening set, Wawrinka broke Berrettini while he was serving for the set and then earned a set point later in the set. Berrettini survived a marathon game featuring four deuces before taking the tiebreak 7-4.

The second set provided even more opportunities for Wawrinka.

After a rain interruption, Wawrinka broke Berrettini and had seven break points during the set, including three set points. Once again, however, Berrettini found a way out of trouble.

The Italian eventually forced another tiebreak and won it 7-3.

From there, the match slipped away from Wawrinka. Berrettini broke three times in the third set and closed out the victory without dropping a game.

Still, the crowd gave Wawrinka a warm ovation as his Grand Slam career came to an end.

A Fitting Final Chapter in New York

Wawrinka’s appearance at the 2026 US Open was almost in doubt.

He was initially left out of the singles field despite applying for a wild card. But after American Patrick Kypson withdrew because of injury, Wawrinka was awarded a place in the draw, giving him the opportunity to return to the scene of his greatest Grand Slam triumph.

It turned out to be a fitting final chapter.

Wawrinka won the 2016 US Open by defeating Novak Djokovic in the final, adding the New York title to his Australian Open championship in 2014 and French Open title in 2015.

He also reached the US Open semifinals in 2013 and 2015 and established himself as one of the most dangerous big-match players of his era.

Before this year’s tournament, Wawrinka had already reflected on what New York meant to him.

“When I first arrived in New York from a small farming village in Switzerland, everything felt too big,” Wawrinka wrote in an emotional farewell message. “The city. The noise. The energy. The crowds. The lights.”

But over two decades, New York became one of the defining places of his career.

“I experienced some of the strongest emotions of my career here,” Wawrinka wrote. “The battles, the late nights, the incredible atmosphere, the love from the crowd…memories that will stay with me forever.”

And his connection with the US Open goes far beyond one championship.

Since making his US Open debut in 2005, Wawrinka accumulated a 46-16 record at the tournament. His 2016 championship remains the centerpiece, but his longevity and consistency in New York became another important part of his legacy. (ATP Tour)

“Forever Grateful. Forever New York.”

Wawrinka has made it clear that the 2026 season will be his last on tour, although Monday’s defeat was not the final match of his professional career.

He is expected to conclude his playing career later this year in his native Switzerland at the ATP event in Basel.

But Grand Slam tennis is now finished for Wawrinka.

And there may have been no better place for him to say goodbye than the U.S. Open.

“Winning the US Open, in the city that never sleeps, will forever be one of the greatest moments of my life,” Wawrinka wrote before returning to Flushing Meadows.

“Forever grateful. Forever New York.”

On Monday, New York returned the favor.

For two decades, Wawrinka brought his spectacular one-handed backhand, thunderous groundstrokes, competitive spirit and unmistakable personality to the biggest stages in tennis.

His final Grand Slam match ended in defeat.

But his Grand Slam legacy leaves New York — and tennis — with far more victories than losses.

Stan Wawrinka: three Grand Slam titles, a US Open championship, a career-high ranking of No. 3, and a legacy as one of the greatest one-handed backhand players of his generation.

Monday was simply the final chapter.