Winning the Umag tournament at the age of 38, seventeen years after his first title on Croatian soil. The story would have been beautiful for Stan Wawrinka. But the Swiss was beaten by Australian Alexei Popyrin (6-7, 6-3, 6-4). At the end of the meeting, he could not contain his emotion.
“Thank you all, I know it’s stupid to cry but I love this sport too much and you make it even better,” he told the audience between sobs. It was a great week, I hope I can come back. Thank you for your support, hope to see you next year.”
The man with three Grand Slams, who has not won a tournament since 2017, can take comfort in climbing 23 places in the latest ATP ranking. He is now 49th.