An open letter to Stan Wawrinka
Dear Stan,
Before I proceed, let me be clear with one thing. The ‘dear’ was only for etiquette. I have no reason to be happy while telling this to you.
Are you happy now, Stan? You have done what nobody wanted you to do. Nobody expected you to do. Is this your way of telling the world that you are not a mere pushover? That you belong among the elites of the modern era? That you are not “just another tennis player’? You have succeeded then. But why, Stan? Just why? Is this your revenge for that loss in Rome? If yes, did you really have to do it at Roland Garros? Really?
Roger is like a banyan tree, Stan. Nothing can grow under its enormous shade. That was how I liked it. That was how I thought it would always be. First Nadal came. Then Djokovic. And now, you! But you were his friend. You were like his brother. His doubles partner. More than me, you knew what a French Open meant to him. And yet? And yet.
And to be honest, the way in which you did it is hurting. Straight sets, Stan! Really? You HAD to do that? You didn’t even let him come close to breaking your set, let alone break it. Ruthless is a word I generally reserve for Nadal. But you were ruthless yesterday. Against Federer. Against someone who has made it his habit to dominate opponents.
You were not a beast like Rafa is. You didn’t have the solid defense Djokovic has. You weren’t the floating angel Roger is. You were worse, Stan. You were yourself. You played to your limitations and kept playing. You didn’t let the pressure get to your head. You didn’t bother that the crowd was against you. You didn’t give a damn about the fact that even people from your own country didn’t want you to win.
You made my idol look like a kid. You made a boy out of a man who has 17 Grand Slams. And you did it without a hint of arrogance. Without breaking a sweat. And even after the match ended, there wasn’t any false roll-on-to-the-floor maneuver. You were the better player. You deserved it. But that doesn’t take away my pain.
Federer took the loss as graciously as he always does. I don’t. I probably won’t. I hate you, Stan. I hate you with every bit of myself. But I also respect you. With every bit of myself.
Do you believe in God, Stan? You know which one I’m talking about. You just made one fall to his knees. What is a God to a non-believer, huh?
Sincerely,
Just another Fed fan.