“I don’t want to coach right now, but you never know in the future”: Stan Wawrinka leaves door open for coaching career

The three-time Grand Slam champion is enjoying a strong run at the Australian Open after receiving a wildcard in what is the year of his retirement. The Swiss player is competing at the Happy Slam for the final time in his career and has already secured two wins in a row: victories over Laslo Djere and Arthur Gea — the latter in five sets and after more than four hours.

“Yeah, it was a tough battle. When you win 7–6 in the fifth, it's always just a few points here and there. I'm happy with the ending,” commented the 40-year-old in his press conference. “Of course, it was important to stay positive through the match. The atmosphere and the support were amazing. It really helped me stay active during those four hours.”

Wawrinka became the fifth player aged 40 or older to win a match in a Grand Slam main draw. He also reached 49 victories in five-set matches, an all-time record in the Open Era, moving ahead of Roger Federer (48) and Novak Djokovic (47).

“Grand Slams have always been, in general, better for me. I feel that I have more time to put my game in place, to find solutions,” commented Wawrinka. “I also have good confidence in my fitness level that I can handle those long matches. For me, it's not a problem to keep the level high.”

The Swiss player defeated 21-year-old Arthur Gea — a player who was born when Wawrinka was already taking his first steps on the professional tour. It was four hours and 45 minutes in which Wawrinka came back twice from a set down to complete the comeback.

“Today was again a big battle. I was not feeling great, probably starting to cramp at the end. I was pushing myself through. Of course, you need to feel good physically, but mentally you also need to stay really positive and find solutions. Like I said, playing here with this amazing atmosphere and support gives me a lot of energy on court to keep staying positive, to keep fighting, to keep pushing myself. I'm super happy with the result.”

The fifth set lasted a total of one hour and 20 minutes and was ultimately decided in the super tie-break. Gea struggled on his first serves and Wawrinka quickly took an advantage that became insurmountable for his opponent at that stage, winning eight of the last nine points played: 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 [10-3].

“In Grand Slam five-set matches, from the beginning of my career, I felt a bit less nervous because you have more time,” he added. “You have more time to fail. You have more time to find solutions. That’s something that mentally has always helped me try to play my best tennis.”

Wawrinka was asked where the victory over Gea ranks in his remarkable career in Melbourne, where he lifted the title in 2014, defeated Djokovic, and owns a total of 45 wins across 20 editions played. “For me, I never compare times, never compare the past,” he commented. “That's never a good idea. I always try to stay in the present, living with what's happening now.”

“Of course, after a tough year like last year, and knowing that it's my last one here, my last Australian Open, my last year, it’s really special. The emotions are completely different. It's a feeling that's tough to describe, but it's the reason why at 40 I'm still pushing myself, pushing the limits, practicing hard in the off-season to live these moments.”

The Swiss player continues to show strong form at the start of the year and has already secured a rise to world No. 107 in the live rankings. Part of his success began at the United Cup, where he served as captain and singles player for the Swiss team that reached the final. In the team event, he was especially active leading his squad, offering support and giving constant instructions to teammates such as Jakub Paul and Belinda Bencic.

Wawrinka has not ruled out becoming a coach in the future. “That's a good question, and I don't have the answer right now. If you ask me in the short term, I don’t want to coach,” the former world No. 3 stated. “In the long term, we never know what’s going to happen. I'm happy where I am right now. I'm happy to play this year, to try to finish as well as possible, and probably to take some time off after.”

The 2014 Australian Open champion is not the only veteran still making headlines in Melbourne. After advancing to the third round, former US Open champion Marin Cilic (37 years old) and 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic also joined the group.

“I think it's great. I saw Cilic winning—it’s good to see him back. He’s had injuries the last few years, so it's good to see him at the right level again,” Wawrinka added. “Novak is in a different league anyway, so we never compare ourselves to him. He’s always there, and he’s always going to be there as long as he's playing. It's always amazing the way he can push everybody.”

The next challenge for the Swiss wildcard will be against world No. 9 Taylor Fritz — who is coming off victories over Valentin Royer and Vit Kopriva. Wawrinka holds a 63–104 record against top-10 players — the first coming back in 2005 against Mariano Puerta at the US Open, and the most recent in 2024 at the Stockholm Open against Andrey Rublev.