Stan Wawrinka exits in the first round of the Challenger, revealing his final dream before retirement.

The most popular tennis tournament at present is the Miami Open, a joint ATP 1000 and WTA 1000 event. Within the professional tennis circuit system, its prestige ranks just below the four Grand Slams and the year-end finals.

Perhaps you've observed that from Indian Wells to Miami, Stan Wawrinka has been absent.

Late last year, Wawrinka announced that 2026 will be his final season. He aims to maintain good form throughout the year, participating in as many tournaments as possible, competing from start to finish.

Professional tennis events are known as the tour. I imagine Wawrinka, like a star nearing curtain call, plans a global farewell tour to bid goodbye to fans, revisit familiar venues, meet familiar faces, and then retire with some inevitable regret.

Thanks to his past glorious achievements and immense popularity, Wawrinka is set to become a "wildcard collector" on the tour this year. Many tournaments are likely to generously award wildcards to this tennis legend.

Early this year, the Australian Open became the first to grant Wawrinka a wildcard. I believe he deserved it, being a former champion there, and former champions are often key candidates for wildcards.

Wawrinka indeed lived up to expectations from the tournament and fans. He battled through four sets in the first round, won a five-set match in the second round, and lost in four sets to ninth seed Fritz in the third round.

Gaining valuable 100 points at the Australian Open, Wawrinka improved his ranking to No. 113, a position still insufficient for direct entry into Grand Slam main draws based on ranking.

Subsequently, Wawrinka received wildcards for the WTA 250 Montpellier, WTA 500 Rotterdam, and WTA 500 Dubai. After winning his first match in Dubai, Wawrinka surpassed Karlovic, becoming the ATP's all-time leader in match wins among players aged 40+. Moreover, in this farewell season, Wawrinka has recorded victories in all five tour-level events he has entered so far.

For North America's "Sunshine Double," Wawrinka did not receive wildcards, sparking some fan discontent. Some even argued that wildcards given to Zheng Rui and Wu Yibing should have gone to Wawrinka instead.

But Wawrinka didn't mind. He turned to Italy to compete in the Naples Challenger. I think his move has at least three considerations: first, maintaining match rhythm, staying active, and participating in as many events as possible within limited time; second, earning points to boost ranking for direct Grand Slam entry, similar to Zhang Shuai's late-year small tournament participation to secure direct Australian Open entry; third, early adaptation to clay to prepare for the clay season.

Wawrinka arrived in Naples, Italy five days before the tournament started. His active participation led journalists to ask if he might change his decision to retire at year's end.

"Absolutely not. I'm satisfied with my level and happy I can still give my all. That's the goal for my final season, and I want to end my career this way. My plan is to stay firmly within the ATP top 100 by year-end, and so far, I'm pleased with my performance," Wawrinka stated.

When discussing his final career wish, Wawrinka admitted he really wants to face Alcaraz: "Honestly, I'd prefer to play against Carlos (Alcaraz). I've faced Jannik (Sinner) many times, so I want a different experience. It's a small dream for me this year—playing against such a player across the net would be very challenging."

In the first round of the Naples Challenger concluded last night, fourth seed Wawrinka lost 6-2, 4-6, 6-7 to French player Matteo Martineau, ranked No. 348.

Next, I expect Wawrinka will participate in several smaller events until the Monte Carlo Masters on April 5. Wawrinka defeated Federer in the 2014 Monte Carlo Masters final to win his sole Masters title. Recently, he received a main draw wildcard for this year's Monte Carlo Masters.

Looking forward to Wawrinka's good performances ahead and hoping he fulfills his wish to play against Alcaraz.Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yun Juan Yun Shu)