Goodbye to Wawrinka - an everyman who gatecrashed the greats

Key points

• Stan Wawrinka's 23-year professional career ended with a 7-5 7-6 (7-2) defeat to Jiri Lehecka in Basel on Tuesday.
• The 41-year-old Swiss won three Grand Slam titles: the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open.
• Novak Djokovic described Wawrinka as a "legend" and said he "had it all".

Stan Wawrinka's professional tennis career ended on Tuesday when the 41-year-old Swiss player lost to Czech opponent Jiri Lehecka in Basel. The defeat, 7-5 7-6 (7-2), came in front of passionate home support and closed a career spanning 23 years and 985 matches.

Wawrinka, a former world number three, won three Grand Slam titles. His family and team were seen dabbing their eyes once the reality of the honourable defeat set in.

Grand Slam triumphs

Wawrinka won his first major at the 2014 Australian Open, aged 28. Seeded eighth, he beat Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals before defeating top seed Rafael Nadal in the final.

He added the 2015 French Open, beating Swiss compatriot Roger Federer in the quarter-finals and Djokovic in the final. His last major came at the 2016 US Open, where he escaped match point down against Britain's Dan Evans in the third round and went on to beat Djokovic for the title.

All I wanted in my career was to give everything, have no regrets, to always fight, to always give 100% in every match

— Stan Wawrinka

What Djokovic said

Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, called Wawrinka a "legend". The 39-year-old Serb, who practised with Wawrinka in Basel, said: "Stan's had an incredible career. The competitor he is on court, talent, strength, power, precision - he had it all."

Wawrinka told the ATP website that all he wanted in his career was to give everything and have no regrets. He said that was the only way you can leave the sport without regrets.