Can Stan Wawrinka trouble the big four on a regular basis?
Stan Wawrinka coudn’t have asked for a better time in his career. The Swiss No. 2, who won the 2014 Australian Open and put an end to the big four dominace at the majors is starting to prove why he is a serious contender in big tournaments.
Yes. Wawrinka had a brilliant backhand before. He had a serve that could test the best in the business. He had the stamina to go the distance at Grand Slams. But what has changed in his game?
It is difficult to comprehend Wawrinka’s stunning turnaround at the French Open to say the least. He lost in the first round at Roland Garros after winning his first major down under. The 2-time Grand Slam champion had an ordinary second half in 2014 barring the Davis Cup win with Switzerland.
So, the question on everyone’s mind is: Can Wawrinka string good performances month after month?
Well,even Wawrinka’s coach Magnus Norman is taken aback as he tries to answer this question.
“He is a very interesting player to watch because you never know what to expect, he said.
“This week we saw the greatness of Stan but next week it could be something else and this is my job to try and make him a little bit more consistent. I think we all know that if Stan has a good day, he can beat anybody. But if he wants to break into the top four, he has to be more consistent week in, week out.”
Delivers on big occasions
It is easier said than done. Isn’t it? The big four (Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray) have established their supremacy on the tour and it looks unlikely that all of them will cease to do so in the next couple of years at least.
Wawrinka is on the wrong side of 30 and surprised quite a few with his showing in Paris last week. One thing common in his two Grand Slam wins is his ability to rise to the big occasion. He beat Nadal in the Australian Open final, which is remarkable as the Spaniard has one of the best records in major finals.
Then, he took out Djokovic rather nonchalantly after the Serb had accumulated a 28-match winning streak. These are the only two occasions that he has been able to get the better of the World No. 1 in 19 attempts.
Unpredictable and dangerous
Up until the beginning of the European clay court swing, Wawrinka’s best result was the semifinal showing in Melbourne. He lost to Robin Haase in the second round at Indian Wells and then went out of Miami Masters in the fourth round against unheralded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
It was Grigor Dimitrov’s turn next as he vanquished the defending champion in just 55 minutes at Monte Carlo. The Bulagarian was at again in Madrid as he beat Wawrinka in four sets. Wawrinka recorded his biggest win on clay before the French Open by taking out Nadal in the semifinals of the Rome Masters.
Placed in the same half as Federer and Nishikori at Roland Garros, Wawrinka was largely under the radar until the quarterfinals. He faced his compatriot Federer and left the 17-time Grand Slam champion loss for words with a brutal display that consisted of several winners leaving very little time for the Swiss meastro to respond.
The Stanimal was not done yet. He saved his best for the last. After losing the first set against Djokovic in the French Open final, Wawrinka turned the tables on the World No. 1 by some breathtaking tennis and entered a zone where it was impossible for him to commit any unforced errors. He dug himself out of trouble numerous times saving a lot of break points in the process.
He has risen to the occasion each time and top players will be more wary of Wawrinka’s challenge now more than ever.
His record against the Big 4
So, how exactly does Wawrinka stack up against the big 4 so far?
He trails 17-4 against Djokovic.with 2 of those wins coming in the last 18 months. This is one of the best rivalries at the moment with their matches often going the distance at majors. Both are strong off their backhands, but Wawrinka comes out on top in baseline exchanges.
Wawrinka failed to register a single win against Nadal in their first 12 meetings, but has reversed the trend in the last two matches. He denied Nadal a second crown in Australia and beat the Spaniard for the first time on clay at the Rome Masters.
Against his compatriot Federer, Wawrinka has three match wins under his belt with all three of them coming on clay. The Swiss No. 2 spoiled Federer’s chance of claiming his first Monte Carlo title before packing the 2009 French Open champion in straight sets last week.
It is more or less even stevens between Murray and Wawrinka with the Scot leading 8-6. However, the Swiss has won their last two encounters including a straight sets win at the US Open in 2013.
So, clearly Wawrinka is troubling the big 4 more often now than he did in the last decade.
Matter of consistency
With Wimbledon coming up in less than three weeks from now, can Wawrinka back up his impressive performances at Melbourne and Paris on the lawns of SW19?
He has not been able to go past the last eight stage in London so far in his career. Now that there is an extended week for Wimbledon to begin, the Stanimal can get his game ready to put a seed of doubt in his opponents.
Grass is perhaps not his favored surface as the ball tends to travel at a much slower pace and one needs to adjust before going for their booming forehands or backhands. Nevertheless, the big four will start to take him more seriously than they did earlier. Even the pundits cannot just include his name in the list of dark horses anymore. They are well aware of his capabilities in the second week of a Grand Slam.
Will pressure get to him like it did last year where he couldn’t back up his win in Australia or he will play ruthless tennis, which is when he is most dangerous to make his way into the top 3?
Fans can definitely expect the unexpected at Wimbledon this year!