Wawrinka just joined a very exclusive club.
His comeback victory at the United Cup in Perth did more than earn a point for Switzerland; it extended a career-long streak that now places him alongside some of the game’s most persistent names in Open Era history.
Wawrinka’s Farewell Season Starts With A Statement
Stan Wawrinka edged past Arthur Rinderknech 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) after three hours and 18 minutes, delivering the kind of grind-first performance that has become his trademark late in matches and especially useful in pressure tiebreaks and closing moments.
The win also sealed the tie for Switzerland against France, giving the Swiss a 2-0 victory after Belinda Bencic had already beaten Leolia Jeanjean 6-2, 6-4. That combination of a strong women’s singles result and Wawrinka’s veteran win made the morning look tidy for Swiss fans.
What The Numbers Say
For Wawrinka personally, the match produced a milestone: he became the fifth man in the Open Era to record a tour-level match win in 23 different seasons, an achievement that rewards persistence, recovery from injury, and the ability to stay competitive across changing eras.
The all-time seasons leaderboard the source supplied reads like tennis history: Jimmy Connors at 25, Roger Federer at 24, Richard Gasquet at 24, Rafael Nadal at 23, and Stan Wawrinka at 23. Those are names and numbers that underline how rare such longevity is.
There are four more men tied at 22 seasons, and the coverage noted that Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils could join the 23-season club with their first wins in 2026, whereas Guillermo Vilas and Feliciano Lopez are retired and therefore remain fixed on that list.
Why Longevity Matters
Wawrinka’s seasons span the entries [2003, 2005-2026], a career arc that survived injuries and long layoffs yet still produced enough tour-level victories to count season after season, across surfaces and tournament levels, which is the real test of a prolonged professional life.
Stan Wawrinka made a winning start to his farewell season at United Cup in Perth on Saturday, grinding past Arthur Rinderknech, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), after three hours and 18 minutes on court.
Tennis.com
That verbatim recap from the coverage captures the basics, but the fuller story is the context: this is not merely one match score, it is a late-career affirmation that Wawrinka can still produce high-pressure tennis and tilt close encounters in his favor.
The Swiss victory also highlighted the team format’s value for legacy moments. United Cup gives players a national stage to add small but meaningful chapters to careers, and Wawrinka used that spotlight to remind fans why his backhand and resolve have kept him competitive for so long.
Put another way, these season counts are a blunt instrument that nonetheless tell a useful story: some players peaked higher, some lingered longer, and a rare few managed to do both in different measures, which is why Connors, Federer, Gasquet, Nadal, and Wawrinka all appear near the top.
For Switzerland’s team and supporters, the win is both sentimental and practical; it eases the path through early rounds, gives younger teammates breathing room, and creates a narrative moment around Wawrinka’s farewell that media and fans will revisit throughout the year.
Looking ahead, if Djokovic or Monfils notch early tour wins in 2026 they will reshape these lists, but the present fact remains simple: Wawrinka now sits in a five-man cohort on 23 seasons, and that is a tidy, measurable way to honor a long career on tour.
It is tempting to focus only on titles and peak rankings, but milestones like this help remind us that longevity is a skill of its own, requiring physical maintenance, mental appetite, and a willingness to adapt as opponents, surfaces, and schedules change over decades.
Fans watching in Perth saw a match that read like a microcosm of Wawrinka’s career: flashes of elite shotmaking, a big-backhand punctuation mark, and enough stubbornness to grind out two late tiebreak wins and leave the court with a satisfied, if tired, grin.
The narrative of a farewell season should be part goodbye tour and part competitive test. For Wawrinka, starting with this tight, hard-fought win does both: it gives fans a memorable high note and keeps his place on a very small list of men who have managed success season after season.
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Christoph Friedrich is a German tennis player and coach currently residing in Oakland, California. He began his tennis journey at the age of eight and has since dedicated his life to the sport. After working as a tennis coach and hitting partner in New York City for eight years, Christoph decided to share his knowledge and experience with tennis players around the world by creating the My Tennis Expert blog. His goal is to make tennis education accessible to everyone and help players select the best equipment for their game, from racquets and strings to shoes and overgrips. Christoph's extensive research and expertise in tennis technology make him a valuable resource for players of all levels.
