‘I Have Been Thinking About This for Many Years’ – Stan Wawrinka Drops Hint of His Retirement at the Monte Carlo Open

Stan Wawrinka’s performance in the summer of 2022 might decide his future in tennis. The Swiss player suffered a left foot injury in March 2021, for which he underwent surgery. However, not recovering completely, he had to undergo a second surgery in June 2021. Needing time to heal completely, the injury forced Wawrinka to stay away from the remaining season.

Early March this year, Wawrinka asserted that he is not thinking of retirement as of now. However, later in the month, his first-round loss to Elias Ymer at the Marbella Challenger event seems to have forced him to give a second thought to his decision.

Wawrinka, who is set to make an ATP Tour comeback at Monte Carlo, recently spoke to the media at the Monte Carlo Country Club. During the interaction, the 37-year-old re-visited his retirement plans.

Stan Wawrinka defines his deadline ahead of his return

Turning pro in 2002, Wawrinka unquestionably has a successful career behind him. In a career spanning 2 decades, Wawrinka has won 16 singles titles, 2 of which are Grand slams. Along with the titles, he has also had a career-high ranking of World No. 3. However, suffering from multiple injuries in the past few years has surely pulled back Wawrinka from reaching his prime form again.

Losing Marbella challenger in the opening round has undoubtedly affected Wawrinka mentally, more than physically. Proof of which was visible during the media interaction in Monte Carlo. Speaking to the media before the start of the Masters 1000 clay-court event, Wawrinka opened up about his self-made deadlines. He said, “I set myself deadlines so I knew how long it would take to feel really good.”

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Going further, the 2014 champion dropped the biggest hint of his possible retirement. Elaborating further on deadlines, Wawrinka admitted the summer season to be his deadline as of now. However, he also confessed that he is not sure about his future plans.

“I thought that if I’m not able to be at the level I want by summer, I’ll have to accept it, but I don’t know what I’ll do next. Sometimes players keep playing even if they don’t make it past the first or second round,” the Swiss added.

Wawrinka compares himself to other players

Stan Wawrinka hasn’t won a title since 2017. Furthermore, the last time he became a runner-up was at an ATP event in 2019. Despite experiencing a downfall in his performance, the current World No. 236 didn’t seem to show that in his matches or media interactions. However, little did anyone know what was going on inside him.

Going further in the interaction, Wawrinka revealed that he has been thinking about retiring for many years. The 37-year-old put up the point of age and the discipline requirement to support his words. “I have been thinking about this for many years now. We are aware of how old we are, how many years we had. We know the discipline you need to stay at the highest level,” he said.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga recently announced his retirement from tennis. Revisiting the announcement, the Swiss sensation, ended by accepting that he and others are at the end of their careers. He said, “Tsonga is not the first, before him, Berdych and Baghdatis withdrew. We know we are at the end of our careers. Of course, we all need to know how far we want to go.”

Looking at the ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo draw, Wawrinka has entered the clay-court tournament as a Wildcard entrant. He will kick off his tournament campaign with a first-round clash with Alexander Bublik.

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He also took part in the doubles draw with Spaniard Felix Auger Aliassime. However, despite giving their best, the two couldn’t withstand the roaring form of Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic, suffering an opening-round loss.