Three-time grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka has farewelled the Australian Open after being eliminated by American ninth seed Taylor Fritz.
Having already become the first 40-year-old man to reach the third round of an Australian Open since 1978, Wawrinka did all he could to extend his fairytale run.
But after taking the second set, the Swiss fan favourite was overpowered by Fritz 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-4 6-4 in two hours and 46 minutes.
Having already announced he will retire at season's end, Wawrinka had almost the entire crowd at John Cain Arena behind him.
The backhand blaster was celebrated on court after the match, praised by Fritz and Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley.
At the end of the formalities, Wawrinka and Tiley shared a beer on court together.
"I won my first grand slam here and I've always enjoyed being back," Wawrinka said.
"I've always had so much support and the reason why I was still playing is because of you (the fans), because of the love of the game, the emotion you give me.
"I'm sad to leave, but it's been an amazing journey."
Wawrinka took an unexplained medical timeout at the end of the third set.
He continued to battle hard, but Fritz proved too strong to book a fourth-round showdown against Italian fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti.
Helping Fritz's case to move further in the tournament is that Musetti is coming off an epic four-hour and 27-minute epic against Czech Tomas Machac.
The former world No.3 Wawrinka won the Australian Open in 2014 and won a French Open (2015) and US Open (2016).
With Wawrinka currently ranked 139, he only made this tournament after being given a wildcard.
If his ranking remains low, he will need a similiar path to gain entry to the three other grand slams in his final year.
