Stan Wawrinka Bids Emotional Farewell to Roland Garros After First-Round Defeat

Posted : 25 May 2026

Former French Open champion Stan Wawrinka brought the curtain down on his final Roland Garros appearance on Monday after suffering a four-set defeat to Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong in the first round.

The 41-year-old Swiss veteran, who plans to retire at the end of the season, was beaten 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match lasting just over three hours under the intense Paris heat.

Wawrinka, the 2015 Roland Garros champion and former world number three, received an emotional farewell after the match as tournament organisers honoured his remarkable career with tributes displayed around the stadium.

A special presentation included a framed section of the famous clay court, while video messages from tennis legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic were shown to the crowd.

Clearly emotional, Wawrinka thanked fans for their support throughout his career and admitted it was difficult to say goodbye to the tournament where he created some of his greatest memories.

Despite temperatures soaring above 30 degrees Celsius, Court Simonne Mathieu was packed with spectators eager to witness the Swiss star’s final appearance in Paris.

De Jong secured the decisive break late in the fourth set before holding firm to advance into the second round. The Dutchman paid tribute to Wawrinka after the match, insisting the day belonged to the former champion rather than himself.

Elsewhere at Roland Garros, Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar impressed on his Grand Slam debut with a dominant straight-sets victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic.

In the women’s draw, four-time champion Iga Swiatek cruised into the second round with a commanding win over Australian teenager Emerson Jones. Swiatek looked sharp in her first Grand Slam appearance since adding Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig to her team.

Second seed Elena Rybakina also progressed comfortably with a straight-sets victory over Veronika Erjavec, while Elina Svitolina survived a tough battle against Anna Bondar to extend her perfect first-round record at the French Open.

Former finalist Jasmine Paolini advanced with a solid win, but Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen suffered a shock exit after losing heavily to Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.

Stan Wawrinka Bids Emotional Farewell to Roland Garros After First-Round Defeat

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