Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam champion, has climbed back into the top 100 of the ATP rankings in what is expected to be his final season as a professional tennis player, becoming the first male player after Roger Federer to achieve the feat past the age of 40. The 39-year-classic Swiss player’s resurgence was confirmed on February 17, 2026, according to reports from Taiwan’s Liberty Times and China’s QQ News.
Wawrinka, who announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2026 season, demonstrated his continued competitiveness with a strong start to the year. He reached the third round of the Australian Open, his best result at the tournament since 2021. He followed this performance with a run to the round of 16 at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, accumulating five wins so far this season – surpassing his total of four wins for the entirety of 2025.
His latest ranking jump, from 106 to 98, marks his return to the top 100 for the first time since July 14, 2024. This accomplishment places him in a select group of players who have maintained a top-100 ranking at age 40 or beyond. Federer was the last to do so, briefly holding the 97th position in June 2022 before his ranking points were reset. Ivo Karlovic of Croatia also achieved this milestone in 2019.
The achievement comes as Wawrinka prepares to conclude a distinguished career that includes Grand Slam titles at the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French Open, and the 2016 US Open. He defeated Arthur Gea in a five-set match at the 2026 Australian Open, breaking Federer’s Open Era record for most five-set matches played in Grand Slam history with 48.
Another veteran player, 37-year-old Marin Čilić of Croatia, also experienced a significant ranking increase this week. Čilić’s semi-final appearance at the Dallas Open propelled him from 61st to 43rd in the world, marking his return to the top 50 for the first time since 2023.