Stan Wawrinka: “Having Roger Federer headlining makes this project exceptional for me”

Stan Wawrinka, the legendary Swiss champion with 19 titles—including 3 Grand Slams—will bid farewell on December 19 in Geneva. Titled “One Last Backhand,” the event will allow him to bring his professional career to a close while treating the public to a few final exceptional exhibition matches featuring Roger Federer and Gaël Monfils. While the proceeds will be donated to charities, the event is organized under the banner of One Last Backhand AG, a company founded by Stan Wawrinka, which handles ticketing, sponsorship contracts, TV broadcast rights, and merchandising.

Operational management will be handled by the event agency Sport-Spirit Pro Events. Yannick Fattebert, Stan Wawrinka’s former coach and co-founder of the company, comments: “There’s an entire economy surrounding One Last Backhand, as with any event. Many companies are involved. Several hundred people will be working on it. Our goal is to cover the costs, which are substantial, since the projected budget is close to 3 million francs. The proceeds will be donated to charities, including the Roger Federer Foundation and Leman Hope, which supports children in remission from cancer. This is very important to us.”

For a long time, a champion’s farewell took place in the moment—during a final match, with a few speeches. Then silence and withdrawal from the media became their new reality. Now, such farewells are fully integrated into an elite athlete’s career plan. Planned months in advance, they involve sponsors, broadcasters, commercial partners, event organizers, and communications teams. While the exit from the stage remains a celebration of athletic achievement, it also marks the first step toward a second life focused on business.

Roger Federer has likely set the gold standard for this new “farewell economy.” In September 2022, he chose to end his career at the Laver Cup, the competition he co-founded himself. His final match, played in doubles with Rafael Nadal, thrilled 16,482 spectators gathered at The O2 Arena in London. It’s worth noting that the three-day competition was broadcast in nearly 200 countries. More than just a farewell, that evening served as a demonstration of the economic and media power of a perfectly orchestrated exit from the stage.

Two years later, Rafael Nadal, too, organized his farewell. While his last official match took place in the Davis Cup in November 2024, it was Roland Garros that, a few months later, provided him with the true farewell befitting his brilliant career—one marked by 22 Grand Slam titles and 14 victories at the Porte d’Auteuil.

On a packed Philippe-Chatrier Court, in the presence of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, the tournament turned its tribute into a global event, leaving an indelible mark on the Parisian clay. Once again, the farewell transcended sports: it celebrated a man, a legacy, and the beginning of a new business chapter. For the man from Manacor is a serial investor: luxury hospitality (Zel Hotels and Palya Invest), sports (with his tennis academy, as well as Playtomic, an app for booking padel and tennis courts), entertainment, and wellness.

That is the crux of the matter. Farewell events naturally generate immediate revenue through ticket sales, media rights, and commercial partnerships. But above all, they allow for the transformation of athletic fame into sustainable economic capital.

At 41, Stan Wawrinka is now part of this trend. His farewell exhibition, scheduled for December 19 at Palexpo in Switzerland, is intended to be the culmination of his career and a very personal way to say goodbye to his fans. Yannick Fattebert continues: “Stan called me early this year to tell me he was retiring. The idea was to organize a major event that we could control and that would suit him. We decided on the venue, the date, and some big names in tennis. Stan’s career has been marked by his matches against Roger and Rafa. That’s what people remember most. When Roger and Gaël agreed to participate, we knew right away it would generate a lot of excitement. All 10,000 tickets sold out in a matter of hours. That said, Stan wanted the tickets to be affordable from the start—under 100 francs—so that families could attend.”