It is rare for an exhibition event to grab the attention in the middle of the tennis season. However, the Six Kings Slam event has been much talked about over the last few days. The three-day exhibition event, held in Saudi Arabia, features the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Carlos Alcaraz among others. While there are no ATP ranking points on offer there, the event promises a massive paycheck. But while the star power is on show there in Saudi Arabia, a hard-fighting warrior is playing on the ATP Tour. It is none other than Stan Wawrinka.

At 39, the Swiss star is clearly past his prime days in the sport. Nonetheless, he is giving his all in order to have one last laugh before he retires. Wawrinka is currently playing in the ATP 250 Stockholm Open where he has reached the semifinals. Earlier today, Wawrinka sweated it out to pull off a hard-fought win over the top seed, Andrey Rublev. In a battle lasting nearly two hours, the Swiss held his nerves to win both tiebreakers and pull off a straight-set win by 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5). Earlier, in the round of 16, he fought hard to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in three sets.

While Wawrinka is sweating it out on the ATP Tour, the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have given the ATP tournaments this week a miss due to the event in Riyadh. Wawrinka is looking to win his 1st title since 2017 and is just two steps away from doing so. Sinner and Alcaraz, on the other hand, are the last men standing in the Six Kings Slam event.

While Sinner defeated Djokovic, Alcaraz got the better of his compatriot, Rafael Nadal in the semifinal. Despite the loss, Nadal was satisfied with his comeback performance and remains hopeful about a good show in the Davis Cup Finals next month.

Meanwhile, at 39, retirement is nearing for Stan Wawrinka. He made a hilarious confession after his win over Rublev that hinted that his retirement might not be too far away.

Stan Wawrinka cracks ‘old man’ joke after defeating Andrey Rublev

The Swiss star was at his best as he defeated the top seed Rublev in straight sets. Interestingly, it was Wawrinka’s first top-10 win in 14 months and made him the second-oldest man this century to beat a top-10 player. However, during the on-court interview, the presenter addressed Wawrinka as an “impressive young man.”

Subsequently, Wawrinka smiled and said, “For an old man it’s not too bad, huh?” Further, he went on to add, “The key was to stay focused and positive with myself. Andrey is such an amazing player. Today I was feeling good on the court, I was moving well and I could start to dictate a little bit. And again, with so much support it’s always easier to fight on the court so thank you very much, everybody.”

With his deep run in Stockholm, Wawrinka is entering several record books. At 39 years and six months, he is the third-oldest man, after Jimmy Connors and Ivo Karlovic, to make it to a semi-final since the ATP Tour was established in 1990. In the semifinal, Wawrinka faces a daunting task as he will be up against Tommy Paul of the United States. Their match will take place on the Center Court tomorrow.