Retirement getting closer but Wawrinka still has the fire

NEW YORK : Former U.S. Open winner Stan Wawrinka hinted that he was getting closer to hanging up his racket after being forced to retire mid-match during his opening round contest at the hardcourt major on Monday against French lucky loser Corentin Moutet.

Wawrinka, 37, had twice called the trainer on court to tend to his finger and was trailing 6-4 7-6(7) when he signalled he could no longer continue against Moutet, who managed to make the main draw despite losing in the qualifying stage.

It was the sixth straight defeat for the three-time major champion, who lifted his last Grand Slam trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2016.

"I'm getting closer to the end. That's for sure. It's a reality," Wawrinka told reporters.

"I was injured for more than a year. It took me a while to feel much better physically and tennis-wise. I still love the game and want to compete a bit longer before stopping."

Wawrinka returned to the tennis circuit in March after over a year on the sidelines following two surgeries on his left foot. But he has failed to reprise his old form and suffered a slew of first round exits at tournaments.

But the Swiss is not giving up hope, yet.

"For me as much as I enjoy and love what I'm doing, I want to keep going a little bit for sure," Wawrinka added. "Will need to have some result too, because you cannot just keep being on tour and losing.

"But I see that I'm playing and feeling better. Even if I'm not winning yet, I know I will be back winning matches soon. That's for sure.

"I will never be able to play as well as I did in my career, because I'm getting older, but I believe that I still have some good and big results in me, and that's why I keep gonna fight a little bit."

Dominic Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, is