Stan Wawrinka won the Australian Open in 2014 (Image: Getty)
Stan Wawrinka has revealed that he “closed a bar” to celebrate his triumph.
The former world No. 3 won his first of three Grand Slam titles in Melbourne Park in 2014.
More than a decade later, Wawrinka reflected on his first taste of Major glory, explaining how he went straight from the tournament to his party.
The Swiss star famously ended the Big Four’s reign of dominance at the Grand Slams when he won the 2014 .
At the time, it had been almost five years since someone other than , , , or had lifted a Major trophy.
Wawrinka went on an incredible run, taking Djokovic out in the quarter-final and ending the Serb’s 25-match winning streak at the tournament. He went on to beat Nadal in the championship match while the Spaniard was struggling with a back injury.
After winning 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3, Wawrinka was keen to celebrate, and the former No. 3 has now shared what he did after finally winning his first Slam at the age of 28.
Wawrinka appeared on the Nothing Majors podcast, hosted by retired American players John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock and Steve Johnson, to debrief his victory from 11 years ago.
Stan Wawrinka revealed that he shut down a bar to party after winning his first Major title (Image: Nothing Major podcast)
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But the ex-players were interested in one topic. “Did you have a big party that night? What does it look like when you win a Slam?” Querrey asked.
“That’s the biggest party you can have,” Wawrinka smiled. Querrey also wanted to know whether the Swiss star partied Down Under or if he waited to go home
“No, no, no, I went out Australia directly,” the three-time Major winner said, earning laughs from the hosts who loved his enthusiasm.
Explaining why he wanted to celebrate his win, Wawrinka continued: “Tennis is always difficult. We play a tournament every week. We never have really time to go enjoy and to party.
“And after the final of a Slam, if you’re not going to party now, you will never party during your whole career. So yeah, we had a big party. We closed the bar. I remember they had to lock the bar from inside because we were not allowed to stay longer.”
It was morning by the time Wawrinka left, and he still had plenty of media duties to complete as the newly-crowned champion.
He added: “And when I got out, it was already sunny outside. I had to press to do the next day, one hour after. So it was not that simple.”
Wawrinka went on to win two more Grand Slam titles – the 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open, beating Djokovic in both finals. He also finished runner-up at Roland Garros in 2017, losing to Nadal.
While it’s been years since he picked up a big trophy, the 39-year-old is still enjoying life on tour. He reached the Stockholm semi-final at the end of 2024 and will compete in the upcoming ATP 250 in Montpellier.