Stan Wawrinka receives wildcard entry for Paris Olympics

Switzerland’s veteran tennis Stan Wawrinka has been handed a wildcard to participate in the upcoming Paris Olympics. The mega-event will be organised from July 26 to August 11 in the capital city of France, where thousands of athletes will come together and participate to claim glory for their respective countries.

In tennis, Wawrinka will have another chance to represent Switzerland, as he has received a wildcard entry. This will be the 39-year-old's third appearance in the mega-event. He won an Olympic gold for his country in the 2008 edition.

He, along with former world number one Switzerland’s Roger Federer, defeated Sweden’s pair of Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson with a score of 6–3, 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–3 to win a gold medal for their country. It will be interesting to see whether the former world number three will be able to deliver the goods this time around, especially after going through a lean patch in the ongoing season.

Wawrinka, in 2024, played in 14 matches at the highest level, where he emerged victorious in just four and suffered 10 defeats. His most recent appearance came during the French Open, where he lost to Pavel Kotov in the second round with a score of 7-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6.

Other than winning a gold medal for his country, Wawrinka has also lifted three major titles in his illustrious career. He won the Australian Open in 2014 after beating the former world number one Rafael Nadal in the final with a score of 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3. In 2015, the Lausanne-born star defeated legendary Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the final with a score of 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 to lift the French Open title.

An year later in 2016, Wawrinka lifted his third and till now the last Grand Slam title after beating Djokovic again in the final with a score of 6–7(1–7), 6–4, 7–5, 6–3.