Stan Wawrinka references iconic 2015 Roland Garros shorts in potential Paris farewell

At 2015 Roland Garros, Stan Wawrinka powered his way to a second of three major titles when he defeated Novak Djokovic.

It was a memorable run and not just for the tennis the Swiss produced. His fit—namely a pair of red, white and gray checkered shorts—garnered just as much attention in Paris that it was enshrined in the Roland Garros Museum after his victory.

Ten years later, Yonex appeared to reference the iconic piece of attire in what may be the 40-year-old’s final appearance at the clay-court major. Red, white and gray were repurposed in a gradient-inspired look, but the polo's placket (underneath the buttons) notably completed the ensemble by revealing a checkered pattern similar to the infamous shorts.

Granted a wild card into this year’s tournament, Wawrinka was ultimately downed by Jacob Fearnley in the opening round Tuesday. Following his 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-2 defeat, the current world No. 145 admitted he is “of course close to the end” but still has the passion to compete despite posting one win in nine tour-level contests this year.

“I'm not stopping right now, that's for sure. I'm getting closer each week, that’s for sure," he told press.

“In general, I think I'm still playing some good tennis. I still move well. I still enjoy. All those loss(es) are getting more difficult to swallow. It's always about the balance with the sacrifice and everything you're doing on one side to be at that level. You need to kind of have some wins in the other side. So far I'm not getting too many wins. Not enough.”

Passion and enjoyment, they are both still here today. The main satisfaction is having the crowd on my side, having so many people supporting me, encouraging me. When there is this amazing atmosphere, it's absolutely wonderful. I know I will never find that in any other career I might have from now on. Stan Wawrinka

As far as where or when Wawrinka might hang up his racquet, the Lausanne native hasn’t landed on an ideal vision to close the chapter.

“I think retirement from tennis is something extremely personal. I don't know exactly how I'm going to handle that yet,” he expressed in a French translation.

“Let's say there's no guarantee that I will be back at the French Open next year. If I don't win a few matches, if my results don't get my ranking higher, then I will not come back whether as a wild card or anything else.”