Former Australian Open champ Stan Wawrinka ends illustrious career

In short:

Stan Warwrinka's final tennis season has come to an end, concluding a professional career that began in 2002.

Warwrinka was defeated in the first round of his home Swiss Indoors in Basel, downed by Jiří Lehečka.

Warwrinka won three grand slam titles — 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open, 2016 US Open — beating the then-world number one player in each final.

Stan Wawrinka's illustrious tennis career finally came to an end at his home tournament in Basel.

The three-time grand slam winner was beaten by eighth-seeded Jiří Lehečka in the first round of the Swiss Indoors, losing 7-5, 7-6(2).

The 41-year-old Wawrinka's last shot as a professional tennis player was a backhand that landed wide — to the audible disappointment of the vociferous home crowd.

Wawrinka, who turned pro in 2002, had announced last December that 2026 would be his last year on tour and "Stan the Man" had received warm send-offs throughout his farewell season.

"For me, all I wanted in my career was to give everything, to have no regrets, to always fight, to always give 100 per cent in every match — out of respect for myself, for the opponent, for the tournament, for the fans, for everybody," Wawrinka told the ATP Tour website ahead of his final match.

"That was always the most important thing for more than 20 years, and that's the only way you can leave the sport: without any regrets."

Wawrinka won his three grand slam titles after defeating the then-world number 1 player in each final. He beat Rafael Nadal to win the 2014 Australian Open and downed Novak Djokovic for the French Open title in 2015 and the US Open the following year.

Wawrinka, who reached a career-high world ranking of number three in 2014, won 16 tour-level titles.

He also paired with Roger Federer to win the doubles title for Switzerland at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The duo helped Switzerland win its first Davis Cup title in 2014.