40yo 'gladiator' Stan Wawrinka survives four-and-a-half hour thriller to extend farewell run in Melbourne
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Stan Wawrinka may be the oldest player in the men's draw at the Australian Open, but he has still got what it takes to claim victory and even had time to share a jovial moment with a fan when he picked up his beer early in the match.
Wawrinka extended his farewell run at Melbourne Park on Thursday after defeating France's Arthur Gea in a four-and-a-half-hour, five-set epic on KIA Arena.
The 40-year-old made history in the first round when he became the second-oldest man to win a match at the grand slam tournament. Now he holds the top spot for the longest match of the tournament in 2026.
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A former AO winner, Wawrinka was pushed to the distance as his French rival unveiled countless remarkable comeback displaces before forcing a tiebreak in the final set.
An injury scare in the tiebreak for Gea ultimately slowed the pace of the high intensity game, however, it was the class of Wawrinka that prevailed.
"He has been a tennis gladiator tonight ... it has been pure box office, stunning in every possible way," David Basheer said on Nine.
"He has rolled back the clock. It's almost like he's the Benjamin Button of tennis."
Stan Wawrinka reacts after winning a set against Arthur Gea. Getty
Asked how a veteran of the game celebrates a win like this, Wawrinka was unsure.
"I have no idea," he said.
But when he came to consider it a little longer, Wawrinka admitted that he will be drawing inspiration from one interaction with a fan that unfolded early in the first set.
"I think at the beginning [a fan] dropped a beer," he said, recalling the moment he lifted a beer can off the caught and handed it back to a fan.
"I think I might pick up a beer because I deserve one."
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The response earned the applause of the crowd, both at the time the fan dropped his beverage in the first set and when Wawrinka raised it in his post-match interview.
He then continued reflecting on his second-round thriller.
"It is my last Australian Open so I'm trying to go on for as long as possible.
"I am not young anymore so I need the extra energy from [the crowd].
"It is an amazing feeling to be on this court with so much noise and support. It was a long match, I don't know how I am going to recover."
It was not the start the Swiss veteran was hoping for against his 21-year-old rival, falling short of claiming the first set in the second round 6-4.
Yet the roar of the crowd was quick to get the beloved Wawrinka back on the road to success, assisting him to unveil a remarkable 6-3 display to win the second set.
Stan Wawrinka (L) of Switzerland shakes hands with Arthur Gea (R). Getty
Just as things levelled up on the scoreboard, tensions on the court simultaneously boiled over, with Gea smashing a ball into the crowd to relieve his frustrations.
Still, that anger was not going to stop him from winning the third set.
The crowd only got louder from then on in, with Wawrinka fighting back to steal the fourth set and force a fifth just shy over the four-hour mark.
"The juices are flowing," Colin Fleming said of Wawrinka in commentary for Nine.
There was no doubting that the Swiss star was looking "pretty fatigued" the longer the match went on, however, his rival was also became more and more frustrated.
Not even a bizarre delay for Gea to retie his shoelaces midway through the fifth set could give Wawrinka the breather that he was likely hoping for, but he pushed on.
A resilient display for Gea saw the fate of the game land in the hands of a thrilling tiebreak. Wawrinka then sealed victory 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(10-3).
