Swiss tennis star Stan Wawrinka played his final French Open match on Monday as fans at Roland Garros gave him a warm farewell. The former champion lost to Dutch player Jesper de Jong but received loud applause as he walked off the court.
The 41 year old lost the match 6 3, 3 6, 6 3, 6 4 in Paris. Wawrinka is expected to end his playing career later this season after a long and successful journey in tennis.
The Swiss player won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2014. He later added French Open and US Open titles to his collection and became one of the most respected players of his generation.
Earlier this year, Wawrinka reached the third round of the Australian Open and gave fans hope of another memorable run. But there was no long farewell campaign in Paris as Jesper de Jong took control after a tight battle.
After the match, an emotional Wawrinka thanked the crowd and those who supported him over the years.
He said, “Thank you all. It’s hard, I don’t want to say goodbye to you here.”
He added, “It’s thanks to tournaments like this one that I dreamed of becoming a tennis player. I grew up with the goal of competing here one day.”
Wawrinka also said, “It was an amazing experience to be able to share this moment here on court. Well done to Jesper for the match.”
Fans on Court Simonne Mathieu cheered loudly throughout the match. They celebrated his winners and supported him until the final point.
De Jong also paid tribute to the Swiss veteran after securing the win.
He said, “It’s not about me today.”
He added, “A funny story about Stan, he played my coach when I was a ball kid. I don’t want to say he’s old. But it’s all about Stan today, especially the way he fought.”
Later, a tribute video played on the big screen as Wawrinka once again thanked the crowd.
He said, “Three hours of emotion, three hours of battle thanks to you, thanks to the support you’ve given me all these years.”
He also said, “I wanted to keep going, to go as far as possible until I was 41 to experience emotions like today. I’ve been lucky enough to experience them for a very long time. You never want to say goodbye when you’re passionate about something.”
