'Love you give me': Sad reality sets in after Stan Wawrinka's beautiful crowd tribute after winning at 40

Former Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka turned the clock back to come from a set down and beat unseeded Serb Laslo Djere 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) on Monday.

The 40-year-old Wawrinka, who claimed his three grand slam titles during the golden era of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, is making his final Melbourne Park appearance as a wildcard after announcing that 2026 would be his last season on tour.

He made a sluggish start but roared back to life after the opening set, sealing his first grand slam match victory since Wimbledon in 2024 and his first at Melbourne since 2021 to huge applause from fans at a packed Kia Arena.

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"It's been a long journey, it's been amazing with so many memories here. It's been incredible.

"The only reason I come back is because of the love you (fans) give me," said an emotional Wawrinka.

"It's my last year. The passion is still intact but I'm not young any more. Today was amazing, it's so special for me to enter the court and a grand slam. It's the reason I practice hard with my team every off-season and every day - to have a chance to compete with the best players in the world."

His beautiful tribute to fans was a sad reminder that one of the most enchanting stories in tennis will soon have an ending. The crowd even booed in jest when he confirmed that this would be his last time playing in the singles draw at the Australian Open.

Wawrinka will take on Arthur Gea in the second round.

"I'm so happy that I won and I have a chance to play one more here," he added.

"It's my last time here and I'm trying to enjoy it, but at the same time I'm trying to compete. I'm a competitor so I'm always going to fight. Hopefully I'm going to play another good match."

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Among Wawrinka's most memorable matches on tour are those clashes he had with Djokovic at Melbourne Park.

In 2013, the Swiss star announced himself on the grand slam stage despite going down to Djokovic in the fourth round, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(5), 12-10 in a clash that lasted five-hours and two-minutes.

In 2014, he broke his winless record against the Serbian star at majors in a memorable four-hour victory and ended a 25-match winning streak at Melbourne Park for Djokovic, who was chasing his fourth consecutive title in Australia.

A year later, Djokovic reasserted his grand slam dominance over Wawrinka, where the Serbian ended the match stronger to claim another five-setter en route to his fifth Australian Open crown.

The former world No.3 won 86 per cent of first serves and 64 per cent of second serves against Djere.

He earned 18 break points in the match, converting three.

"I've been working again more on my serve, especially to get more free points, to serve better. I'm happy it helps me in matches like today," Wawrinka said in his post-match press conference.

"I had many opportunities to break. That's when I start to be a little bit late or a bit passive, and I let the other opponent play much more aggressively than me.

"At the end, it was great to get through a match like that, even with many opportunities to stay with him, to break back in the fourth, and to win with the tiebreak."

- with Reuters