Swiss star Stan Wawrinka has continued to defy the odds following his latest ATP Tour victory
Wawrinka, a three-time major winner, is most certainly in the twilight of his career. However, despite his status as a 40-year-old man, Wawrinka has shown no signs of slowing down, competing in various ATP Tour and Challenger events throughout 2025.
On Monday, Wawrinka secured a first round win at the Umag Open in Croatia, defeating Alvaro Guillen Meza 6-4 6-1.
Meza, 18 years Wawrinka’s junior, struggled to cope on his second serve, winning only 17 per cent of those points.
By defeating the young Ecuadorian, Wawrinka matched an achievement also completed by five-time US Open champion, Jimmy Connors.
Wawrinka matches Jimmy Connors’ achievement
Wawrinka, who has achieved Grand Slam final wins over Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic during his illustrious career, recorded his second ATP Tour victory of the season against Alvaro Guillen Meza.
As per OptaAce, since 1990 when Stan Wawrinka is the fourth player aged over 40 years old to win multiple matches at ATP-level events after Jimmy Connors, Feliciano Lopez and Ivo Karlovic.
Wawrinka only had one ATP Tour win in 2025 before defeating Meza. This came at the Bucharest Open in April, where he beat Timofey Skatov 6-4 6-7 7-6.
Many may have expected Wawrinka to slow down once he reached 40. However, he has demonstrated his innate resilience, much like Venus Williams at the Washington Open.
Wawrinka has slipped down the rankings since the heights of Grand Slam triumph and is now sitting at 156 in the world. He is currently projected to rise seven places to 149, as per the ATP live rankings.
The Swiss player could rise even further if he beats his second round opponent in Umag on Wednesday.
Wawrinka and his next opponent have history
Like Stan Wawrinka, Damir Dzumhur is also entering the twilight of his career.
The 33-year-old Bosnian player has enjoyed a storied career on the ATP Tour, reaching a career-high of 23 in 2018.
Remarkably, perhaps the biggest win of Dzumhur’s career came against Wawrinka. Back in 2017, Wawrinka was ranked number three in the world and was the US Open defending champion. However, he could not match Dzumhur at the Dubai Tennis Championships, the Bosnian winning 7-6 6-3.
Incredibly, Dzumhur beat Wawrinka again in 2019, this time at the Geneva Open. Dzumhur won by a scoreline of 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Wawrinka won another two encounters at the 2018 St Petersburg Open and 2020 Australian Open, leaving their head-to-head record at two wins apiece.
Wawrinka and Dzumhur’s meeting in Umag could end up being the decider in careers that have spanned a combined 37 years.
