DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 25, 2026

Stan Wawrinka

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/S. Wawrinka

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Stan, just quickly starting off, obviously not the way you would have liked the match to end. It's a lot of emotions. What does playing in Dubai mean for you?

STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, it's always been special. My first few years on tour I came here. When I arrive on tour, was always a tournament that you look for. So many great players, so many amazing champion play here. One of the biggest on the ATP Tour.

I had the opportunity to win it in '16. Receive the opportunity with the wild card from the tournament to play. So for me was amazing to have this chance to play here today.

Was not the best finish, but Danny is a tough and great player. He's a great friend, too. Yeah, I tried today, but he was better than me.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. As you're leaving the sport, do you think you're leaving this game in good hands? What is it you would like changed or improved in tennis so it can have a positive and rich future?

STAN WAWRINKA: I think the tennis is a beautiful game. Always been passionate about that. Lucky to had the opportunity to play this life for more than 20 years. For me it was amazing chance.

I think tennis-wise all the generation that are playing now are amazing tennis player. We can see also we have great people at the top of the game. That is the most important for the young generation.

Q. Which part of the circuit, starting January and finishing November, did you find the hardest to play in terms of physically at different times in your career?

STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, I think the reason why I kept playing for so long, and I had this opportunity to play and to stay fresh mentally is because from a young age I always sacrificed few tournaments during the year to make sure I don't overplay, mentally, physically, and tennis-wise, too.

I always tried to do a schedule that was the best for the long-term and of my career. So that's mean not playing too many tournaments. I always tried to do few block of practice during the year to make sure I stay in shape and fresh for the year.

Like you said, the year is long. It don't really stop. If you don't really choose sometimes to practice and to rest and to be ready, it can be a long year. We see that now with all the tournament, with all the player that get injured during the year. It's not easy.

But for me, that's why I never find it one moment of the year specifically more difficult than the other because I always try to play the schedule by wave.

Q. Could you tell me who your favorite is to go on and win this tournament?

STAN WAWRINKA: Here?

Q. Yes.

STAN WAWRINKA: It's tough. I think it's a packed draw, some really good player. With Danny, of course. Felix is there, part of the favorite. You have Bublik, who like those condition. So honestly I cannot really pick one.

I think with Lehecka also, there is some great matchup to watch tennis-wise. It will depend a bit who play who.

Q. Do you sometimes look back, an incredible talent like yours, do you think you should have won 10 Grand Slams or even more sometimes? Do you have any regrets about your tennis career or are you completely satisfied?

STAN WAWRINKA: I think there's always few regret there and that, a few things. When I arrive on tour, my dream was to be a tennis player, was to be professional tennis player, meaning to play the Grand Slam, be top 100 in the world, play this year, quit. That was my dream.

I kind of made a promise with myself that the goal when I stop this long journey will be to have no regret. I mean, you can have regret when you have part of your career that you didn't practice well, you didn't push yourself, you didn't fight for it. This is for me what was always the most important, is do the best with what you can, the preparation, fitness-wise, tennis-wise, always going to push myself.

I do believe that I did squeeze the lemon until the last drop. That's why in general of course I don't have regret. I think I maximize everything I could. I think I always push myself to be the best version of myself. I am super happy with what I achieved, happy with those three Grand Slam and all the other tournament that I got.

No, I don't think I could have done more.

Q. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Does the tattoo on your arm reflect your mentality (indiscernible)?

STAN WAWRINKA: I think it also goes for the life in general. There is always a challenge in your life that you have to face. You always try to stay positive and learn from it, learn from the past to have a better future in general.

So of course was always my mindset in my tennis career to, like I said before, always push myself, to learn from the lost and to try to keep improving.

So far I'm quite happy where I am right now. I'm happy with what's happening this year so far because the level is good. I'm winning match there and that. I'm enjoying that.

For me, that was the most important in my last year, is to be competitive on the court.

Q. All that you said right now about maximizing your career, et cetera, was there a point in your career that you felt you had to change, you had to do it this way, or did you always feel that this is what you did, everything you did was for your best?

STAN WAWRINKA: I think it's been constantly. That was not big change, but you always try to push it for more. You always try to think what I can do more, what I can do better.

Was not times that I decide, Oh, I need to stop everything I'm doing and completely change. Was more like the evolution to keep pushing, keep adding something. Maybe different tournament, maybe different way of practicing, things like that.

But it was for me always kind of evolution.

Q. If we come back to the present, we have Sinner and Alcaraz at the top. It seems like nobody else has a chance now. What would be your advice to people who are trying to break that strength?

STAN WAWRINKA: I think for sure right now Jannik and Carlos are different level. But there will be opportunity in the future. There are always going to be opportunity for player.

For me the most important is to look about yourself, to look about what you can improve, how you going to improve, what you can do the best to improve your game physically, tennis-wise, and to not look about who I need to beat this guy or I need to beat this guy.

At the end of the day you don't play the top player every match, so the most important is how you going to play all year long, how you going to play the match when you don't face them because most of the player, it's of course difficult challenge when you have two player like that, that they are so far better tennis-wise and physically, they're winning all the big titles.

Thank you very much. Thank you.