Wild card Wawrinka rallies into Australian Open R2
Stan Wawrinka rode a wave fan support to notch his first Australian Open win in five years Monday.
The 40-year-old Swiss, who is playing his final year on Tour, rallied from a set down to defeat Serbian Laslo Djere 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) to charge into the second round.
Despite only a light smattering of Swiss flags and red shirts in the crowd on a packed Kia Arena, the 2014 Australian Open champion received overwhelming support as he snapped a four-match losing streak at the majors to take his first Grand Slam match win since Wimbledon 2024.
“It has been a long journey. It has been amazing, so many memories here, it has been incredible. The only reason I come back is because of the love you give me, it was amazing today,” Wawrinka said in his on-court interview. “It is my last year. The passion is still intact. I am not young anymore, so I have to be careful.
“Today was amazing, so special to be on court and at a Grand Slam. It is the reason I train hard every day with my team, to be here competing with the best players in the world. I am so happy I won and have a chance to play one more match here. I am trying to enjoy but I am also a competitor, so I am always going to fight and hopefully I will play another good match.”
[ATP APP]Resorting to many defensive slices when his 40-year-old legs were stretched into the corners, Wawrinka hung with Djere in longer rallies, winning 58 per cent of points of nine or more shots according to Infosys Match Stats
The Swiss was also dominant on serve, winning 86 per cent of first serves and 64 per cent of second serves. He earned 18 break points in the match, converting three, including a boomerang break in the fourth set after he fell behind 2-4.
“I’ve been working again more on my serve, especially to get more free points, to serve better. I’m happy it helps me in matches like today,” Wawrinka said. “I had many opportunities to break… That’s when I start to be a little bit late or a bit passive, and I let the other opponent play much more aggressively than me.
“At the end, it was great to get through a match like that, even with many opportunities to stay with him, to break back in the fourth, and to win with the tiebreak.”
Wawrinka, who also won Roland Garros in 2015 and the US Open in 2016, will next play the winner of 17th seeded Czech Jiri Lehecka and 21-year-old French qualifier Arthur Gea.
A former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Wawrinka is making his 20th Australian Open appearance and 75th start overall at the majors.
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