Stan Wawrinka Faces Taylor Fritz in Saturday Classic in Melbourne
Australian Open
January 22, 2026
Stan Wawrinka just had to inflict the final damage with that beautiful, flowing backhand.
It’s the lethal weapon we have all adored for decades. We only have this year to enjoy it one last time.
Stan Wawrinka’s stunning backhand will surely be a must-see exhibit at Wimbledon 2026, however deep he goes!
One-handed poetry in motion, energy unleashed in wounding ways. Finally, after four hours and thirty-three minutes in the Melbourne heat, Arthur Gea’s resistance was broken.
Stan the Man had won through 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-3) in the longest match of the tournament so far.
It just had to be a five-setter, didn’t it?
Wawrinka is now out on his own as the Marathon Man, the player who has fought in more of those gruelling five-set Grand Slam matches than any other man.
By stretching it out against the cramp-ridden Gea, he registered his 49th five-set showdown in majors – one more than Roger Federer.
Can he make Melbourne just as difficult for the brilliant American, Taylor Fritz on Saturday? There’s definitely life in the old dog yet.
‘It’s my last Australian Open, so I’m trying to make it last as long as possible,’ he explained. ‘I’m only having fun.’
Stan Wawrinka would delight us all in London by playing his fiftieth classic of this delicious ilk at Wimbledon 2026!
How we would love this supremely gutsy star to take us late into the Wimbledon night against one of the young guns!
Stan will be 41 by the time Wimbledon 2026 comes around. But he has already rolled back the years and made a mockery of time.
Why shouldn’t he continue with his extraordinary momentum for a few more months
But if this victory against the dehydrated Gea proves to be his last great drama, no one could complain.
The 21-year-old Frenchman was clearly struggling physically by the end. The veteran nearly twice his age was loving every moment.
Arms out-stretched to the crowd, Stan smiled and told the fans he deserved a beer too.
Stan Wawrinka will also deserve a hero’s welcome at Wimbledon 2026.
This is the man who defeated reigning world number ones in all three of his Grand Slam final triumphs.
Only the Wimbledon title has eluded him – so far. Quarter-finals have proved the end of the road for the stocky Swiss on grass, even in good years.
But let’s salute Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon 2026 for his courage, his stamina and above all for that beautifully cruel backhand, destroyer of many a great player. And let’s see what magic he conjures.
Will you join us at Wimbledon 2026? The glamour and history of the All England Club awaits! Get in touch and we’ll secure your treasured seats on Centre Court, spiritual home of tennis.