Image source, ReutersImage caption, Stan Wawrinka beat the world number one in the final of his three Grand Slam triumphs
ByRussell FullerTennis correspondent in Paris- Published25 May 2026, 15:38 BST
One match does not define a man, but the ferocious barrage Stan Wawrinka unleashed on Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros in 2015 should forever be linked to his name.
If the single-handed backhand has been Wawrinka's signature shot, then this was his signature match.
The ball-striking was brutal and the win from a set down meant Djokovic would have to wait another year to complete the career Grand Slam.
The Swiss completed his final Roland Garros on Monday, losing 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 to Jesper De Jong in front of a packed, vociferous crowd on a beautiful Parisian afternoon.
Although Wawrinka will not retire until October's Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel, this was a fond farewell to the venue he believes witnessed the best match of his life.
"It's always tough to choose, but yes, it's there, because it was Roland Garros and it was the final against Djokovic - number one at that time. I believe it was the best of my life," Wawrinka, 41, told BBC Sport at Roland Garros.
If we remember the performance, we almost certainly also remember the shorts he was wearing.
The red, white and grey plaid shorts have become iconic in tennis circles, and the surviving pairs have found good homes.
There is one pair on display in the Roland Garros museum, while others were framed by Wawrinka for team members including long-term coach Magnus Norman.
And Wawrinka carried a memento of those shorts in his final French Open outing, with a strip of the fabric sewn on to his shirt.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Stan Wawrinka wore a memento of his famous French Open shorts in his final Roland Garros appearance
Wawrinka will retire as a three-time Grand Slam champion, having won his first major at the 2014 Australian Open aged 28.
He had ended Djokovic's run of 14 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals by winning the deciding set of their quarter-final 9-7, and then beat a hindered Rafael Nadal in the Melbourne final.
The Spaniard had hurt his back in the warm-up - but those who thought Wawrinka had got lucky and was unlikely to repeat the trick were soon reconsidering.
After his Paris triumph, the final part of the trilogy came in New York in 2016, when Wawrinka again beat Djokovic from a set down to win the US Open.
Just five minutes before the final, a tearful Wawrinka was shaking with nerves in the locker room, and he declared he was "completely empty" after the gruelling showpiece.
He played 27 sets across that fortnight and spent 21 hours and 49 minutes on court, including saving a match point against Britain's Dan Evans in the third round.
He calmed his nerves, he said, by giving himself a blunt pep talk - a move typical of the man who inspired many GIFs with his trademark pointing of the finger towards his temple.
Some players spurn alcohol during their careers. Wawrinka was not one of those, and may well not have been the same player had he tried to suppress a natural inclination to enjoy the company of others from time to time.
"I think we are all different," Wawrinka said, as he pointed out that Djokovic - who once denied himself even a square of chocolate for an 18-month period - is a 24-time Grand Slam champion and still playing at 39.
"When you sacrifice so much for your tennis, when you do so much hard work to get there, I think if you like to celebrate, you should celebrate, and that's what I did after winning Slams.
"If you don't celebrate after winning a Slam then you will never celebrate, because tennis never stops."
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Stan Wawrinka beat the world's top two players to win the 2015 French Open
Wawrinka regularly maintains he was "really far" from turning the 'Big Four' of Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray into a 'Big Five'.
It is true he won a fraction of the ATP 1,000 tournaments the others did - just the one, in fact, in Monte Carlo in 2014 - and appeared in just one other Grand Slam final.
But with three majors to his name, the Swiss was the only other multiple male Grand Slam champion in a near 20-year period.
Nadal, Federer and Djokovic appeared in a video tribute to Wawrinka after his loss to De Jong, while cheers of "Stan the Man" rang around the stadium.
His most recent title was in Geneva in 2017 at the age of 32. He has had two knee operations and two foot operations since then, but kept coming back for the love of the sport.
Wawrinka says there will be more "skydiving than coaching" in his short-term future but is trying to block those thoughts right now.
"Many things I want to do for sure, but I think the reason why I can keep playing now - and I want to finish the year the best way possible - is that I need to keep my focus and not think too much about when I am going to stop," he said.
"At 41, with my body, it's not that easy to keep that level, so I need my 100% focus on it. But I am excited for the after-tennis.
"In the end, I gave my all to this sport."
French Open
Sunday, 24 May - Sunday, 7 June
Live text commentaries of key matches on the BBC Sport website and app, along with daily commentary live from Court Philippe-Chatrier across 5 Live Sport, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app
