Stan Wawrinka might be 40 years old, but the guy just can’t get enough of tennis. That’s why he keeps showing up to tournaments and breaking records left and right.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Wawrinka came really close to making history. He almost became the oldest ATP Challenger champion ever.
He made it all the way to the final in Rennes but lost to Hugo Gaston. So close to breaking Ivo Karlovic’s record, but it wasn’t meant to be.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Wawrinka | 40 | 633 | 3 - 8 |
Even though he didn’t win that final, the Swiss legend has been playing some pretty amazing tennis lately. After struggling on the main tour for a while, he decided to give the Challenger events another shot. Smart move.
Wawrinka’s won 10 of his last 12 matches. That’s the kind of form that gets people talking.
His most recent tournament ended a bit differently though. The three-time Grand Slam champion had to withdraw before his semi-final match against Dan Added in Saint Tropez.
Wild Card News Changes Everything
That withdrawal probably worried his fans a bit. But then came some fantastic news.
The former world No. 3 just got a wild card for the 2025 Shanghai Masters. He’s one of five players who’ll get direct entry into the main draw.
The tournament runs from October 1st to 12th. It’s one of those big ATP Masters 1000 events that everyone wants to play.
This’ll be Wawrinka’s 12th time playing in Shanghai. His best result there? He’s reached the quarterfinals twice – back in 2013 and 2015.
He was so excited about the wild card that he recorded a video message for his fans. You can tell he’s genuinely grateful to the tournament organizers.
It’s a nice contrast to what happened at the US Open. Those organizers didn’t give him a wild card, even though he’s actually won the tournament before.
"Hi everybody, I’m so happy to announce that I’m receiving a wild card to play the Shanghai Masters. I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to play again in China. Thanks so much to the tournament and I’m looking forward to seeing you all there."
Making Tennis History at 40
Here’s the really cool part about Wawrinka playing in Shanghai. He’ll become the third-oldest player ever to compete at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
He’ll beat Feliciano Lopez’s record by 19 days. Not bad for someone people thought might retire years ago.
There are still two guys ahead of him on the all-time list though. Jimmy Connors was older by just four days when he played his last Masters event.
And Ivo Karlovic holds the overall record. He was 42 years and 218 days old when he competed in his final ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
If Wawrinka wants to break that record, he’ll need to keep playing for a couple more years. Given how much he loves the game, don’t count it out.
The Other Wild Card Recipients
Wawrinka’s the only non-Chinese player getting a wild card for Shanghai. The other four spots went to home favorites.
Juncheng Shang, Yibing Wu, Zhizhen Zhang, and Yi Zhou round out the wild card list. Most of these guys have shown real talent on tour.
They’ve struggled with injuries though, which is why they need wild cards to get into the main draw. It’s always tough when your ranking drops because of time away from the courts.
The tournament organizers clearly want to give these players another chance to compete at the highest level. Smart business too – having local players in the draw always gets the home crowd excited.
