Stan Wawrinka Falls in 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 French Open Exit — Stan Wawrinka French Open
stan wawrinka french open ended on Monday with a first-round loss to Jesper de Jong, closing out his final Roland Garros campaign after 21 years at the tournament. The 41-year-old lost 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 in just over three hours, ending a run that had made him one of the event’s defining figures of the past two decades.
Wawrinka’s exit also brought a hard stop to a career that included the 2015 French Open title, won after beating Rafael Nadal, along with major championships at the 2014 Australian Open and 2016 US Open. He had announced at the start of 2026 that this would be his final season in professional tennis, and Roland Garros became the latest stage for a farewell that did not end on his terms.
Jesper de Jong Holds Firm
De Jong, a Dutch lucky loser, took the opening set 6-3 and then answered Wawrinka’s second-set response by taking control again in the third. The fourth set settled the match, with the Dutchman finishing off the last game to leave Wawrinka on the court after the final point.
Wawrinka collapsed to the court after that final point and then sat with his head bowed in his chair as the crowd reacted to the end of his last French Open appearance. A special trophy followed in the post-match ceremony, turning the first-round result into a farewell occasion as much as a match report.
Roland Garros Sends Wawrinka Off
His words after the match matched the scene around him. “It was amazing. More than what I could expect and what I could dream of,” Wawrinka said. “So much support, so much love from the people.” He added, “Today it was really tough,” and, “It’s never easy to say goodbye to something you love so much.”
That goodbye carried extra weight because Roland Garros has been tied to his childhood. “I grew up watching Roland Garros,” he said. “I’m from Switzerland, from the French part.” He described coming home from school to watch the event on television and said, “For me, the French Open is always going to be completely different than the other tournaments.”
Wawrinka’s Final Roland Garros Run
The match also underlined how long his presence at the event lasted. Wawrinka made his French Open debut 21 years ago, and this appearance was his 21st and final campaign in Paris. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic sent him congratulations in a special video message, a fitting roll call for a player whose biggest results came against the sport’s best.
The farewell came with another layer of symmetry on the same Monday night. Gael Monfils, who made his French Open debut the same year as Wawrinka, also lost and ended his own Roland Garros career just before midnight. For Wawrinka, the number that matters most is the one beside his name on the scoreline: a first-round exit that closed a 21-year chapter at the French Open.
