Stan Wawrinka broke a massive 33-year-old world record held by Jimmy Connors despite losing his first-round match at the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters on Monday (April 6) at the Monte Carlo Country Club at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. The Swiss star faced Sebastian Baez on Court Rainier III and was defeated in straight sets by a 1-6, 3-4 margin in what was his first Masters 1000 match of the year after not playing the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells Open and Miami Open).
The 41-year-old had started the year on an impressive note by reaching the third round of the Australian Open before losing a four-set thriller against USA’s Taylor Fritz. Since then, he took part in the Open Occitanie, ATP Rotterdam Open, Dubai Tennis Championship, and the Napoli Challenger.
Stan Wawrinka Creates History
Wawrinka became the oldest tennis player in history to appear in a Masters 1000 tournament event. He is the first player to play a competition since the format’s introduction in 1990 after celebrating his 41st birthday. The record was previously held by eight-time Grand Slam champion Connors.
Oldest Players To Play ATP Masters 1000 Event
| player | Age | event |
| Stan Wawrinka | 41 years, 9 days | Monte Carlo Masters 2026 |
| Jimmy Connors | 40 years, 191 days | Miami Masters 1993 |
| Stan Wawrinka | 40 years, 180 days | Shanghai Masters 2026 |
| Ivo Karlovic | 40 years, 165 days | Cincinnati Masters 2019 |
| Ivo Karlovic | 40 years, 17 days | Miami Masters 2019 |
Wawrinka is among the finest tennis players of this generation. He has won three Grand Slam titles, having lifted the Australian Open in 2014, the French Open in 2015, and the French Open in 2016. He also won the Olympic gold in 2008 in the Men’s Doubles category during the Beijing Games by winning the tournament with Roger Federer.
The 2026 campaign is the last season of Wawrinka’s career. He will retire from the sport at the end of the year.
