Wawrinka ends 23-year career with defeat to Lehecka in Basel after three Grand Slam titles

Stan Wawrinka, 41, said farewell to professional tennis in front of a home crowd in Basel, Switzerland, in his final tour-level match. On Tuesday night he lost 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) to Czech opponent Jiri Lehecka, the world number 21. The match report said he was beaten but not outclassed.

When the reality of the defeat dawned, Wawrinka, his family and his team were seen dabbing their eyes. The match ended a professional career spanning 23 years, in which he played 985 matches and won three Grand Slam titles.

The hallmarks of his game were on show in the farewell match. The stylish one-handed backhand down the line, the finger pointing to the temple, the demand for more noise from the stands and the roar of 'Allez!' after winning a point he probably should not have won were all there on Tuesday. So was the temptation to snap his racquet over his knee after missing a shot he felt he should have made.

Wawrinka told the ATP website that all he wanted in his career was to give everything, have no regrets, always fight and always give 100 percent in every match, out of respect for himself, the opponent, the tournament and the fans.

He said that had been the most important thing for more than 20 years and the only way to leave the sport without regrets. The former world number three had in recent seasons been willing to drop down to the ATP Challenger Tour, and the report noted his love for a game he knew owed him nothing while he was ranked world number 151.

Wawrinka's career unfolded in the era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Many talented players of his generation saw the 'Big Three' as a blockade preventing them from becoming a Grand Slam champion, but it did not stop Wawrinka. With explosive shot-making, relentless endurance and indomitable spirit, he barrelled past the trio on his way to his three major titles.

He won his first major at the age of 28 at the 2014 Australian Open. Seeded eighth, he beat Djokovic in the quarter-finals before completing an unforeseen triumph against top seed Nadal in the final. Clutching the trophy in Melbourne, he admitted he had never expected to win a Grand Slam because he had not thought he was good enough to beat those players.

At the 2015 French Open, Wawrinka brushed past fellow Swiss Federer in the quarter-finals, then demolished Djokovic in the final with a display of unrelenting power, a performance ranked among the greatest of his era.

His last major title arrived at the 2016 US Open, when he escaped from match point down against Britain's Dan Evans in the third round and went on to beat Djokovic for the title.

Between 2006 and 2022, Wawrinka was the only man outside Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray to win multiple Grand Slam singles titles. Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, described Wawrinka as a 'legend'. The Serb, who practised with Wawrinka in Basel, said Wawrinka had talent, strength, power and precision, and had it all as a competitor on court.

In the statistics Wawrinka was below the Big Three, and he himself recognised he was 'really far' from creating a 'Big Five' with Murray. He spent 267 weeks in the top 10, won one Masters 1,000 tournament and claimed 15 other tour-level titles. After turning professional in 2002, he won 590 tour-level matches and 16 titles in total.

His one-handed backhand is regularly cited as one of the most impressive shots in the men's game. He was honoured with a glitzy farewell ceremony featuring speeches, music and entertainment in Basel on Monday night.