MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka bowed out of his last Australian Open on Saturday, the three-times Grand Slam winner losing 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 6-4 to American Taylor Fritz and soaking up warm applause as a much‑loved former champion.
The 40-year-old, who made his major breakthrough in Melbourne by winning the 2014 title before adding trophies at the French Open and the U.S. Open in subsequent years, had announced that 2026 would be his farewell season.
After battling past Laslo Djere in his opener and edging a five-set marathon against a much-younger Arthur Gea in the last round, Wawrinka mounted another valiant effort but ran out of gas against American ninth seed Fritz.
"Playing on John Cain Arena with this atmosphere was really special. The level was great. I pushed him," Wawrinka said.
"I couldn't find a solution with the battle, but I enjoyed this match a lot, even if it was my last one in Melbourne.
"This for me was a great two weeks, three weeks now, between here and the United Cup. The level was great. I can see that I'm competitive, that I'm feeling good on the court, that I can win some good matches, play against the top players.
"It's exactly what I'm looking for."
WAWRINKA LOSES TIGHT OPENING SET
Wawrinka shrugged off losing a tight opening set tiebreak and cruised through the next, only to surrender the third set before taking a medical timeout, after which he struggled at times to keep up the pressure.
Fritz edged in front in the fourth set and there was no stopping the 28-year-old, who withstood a barrage of late backhand missiles from Wawrinka to book a clash with Italian fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti for a place in the quarter-finals.
"It was a really tough match, the environment as well," Fritz said of his battle with crowd favourite Wawrinka.
"I can't blame anyone in the crowd for cheering for Stan. It's amazing what he's out here doing. I have so much respect for the passion and the drive that it takes to be doing what he's doing this week."
After a video tribute on the big screen, Wawrinka shared a beer with tournament director Craig Tiley before departing the tournament as a player for the last time.
"I'm not doing the year to say goodbye in tournaments just to say goodbye," Wawrinka said.
"I'm doing the year, it's my last year, so of course when I'm going to lose in a tournament, it's going to be a goodbye for this tournament, but my mindset is still a competitor and I always want to push myself.
"I'm trying to find the balance between being a competitor, trying to win, but at the same time enjoying those moments with the fans, with the atmosphere. Here it was more than I expected with the support. Every match was special."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Ken Ferris)
