In his best moments, Stan Wawrinka can beat Roger Federer & the Big 3: Magnus Norman
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have dominated men's tennis for the better part of a decade. The three stalwarts have amassed a total of 56 Grand Slam titles and have taken the year-end World No. 1 ranking 15 times in the last 16 years (the only exception being Andy Murray in 2016).
The 'Big 3' have undoubtedly cemented their legacies in the history books and are arguably the three greatest men to have ever held a tennis racquet. However, their success has had the unfortunate side-effect of overshadowing many other talented players in the 21st century.
Since 2005, there have only been five Grand Slam champions other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. And out those, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka are the only multiple slam champions; Marat Safin (Australian Open 2005), Juan Martin del Potro (US Open 2009) and Marin Cilic (US Open 2014) have triumphed once each.
Magnus Norman, who is the former coach of Stan Wawrinka, recently spoke about how Murray and Wawrinka were particularly unlucky to have to play alongside the Big 3. Norman also pointed out that Wawrinka, on his day, was good enough to compete with any of the three legends.
Wawrinka won 3 Slams in the era of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal: Norman
The Swedish coach, who began working with Stan Wawrinka in 2013, believes that his charge himself is one of the best players of all time. Norman asserted that despite having peaked during the era of Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, the former World No. 3 achieved great heights in the game.
"Stan is one of the best players to ever play the game, if you look at his record, if you look at winning three Grand Slams, winning three different Grand Slams in the era where he had the Big Four playing," said Norman.
"He’s a little bit underestimated for sure, and he’s been in numerous semi-finals as well, another Grand Slam final. He’s had an unbelievable career," Norman added.
Stan Wawrinka is a three-time Grand Slam champion, having picked up the Australian Open title in 2014, the Roland Garros trophy in 2015 and the US Open title in 2016. He has also qualified for the ATP Finals on numerous occasions and has a Davis Cup triumph with Switzerland (alongside Roger Federer) under his belt.
Norman further went on to say that while Wawrinka may lack the consistency of the Big 4, he is capable of pretty much anything when his game is on.
"It’s been a little bit up and down," Norman said. "He doesn’t have the same stability as Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal, but in his best moments, I think he can beat all of those names on a very good day."
“That’s what makes him a little bit special, also. You don’t really know which Stan to expect on the day or on that occasion, and that’s why I think a lot of people really like him,” Norman added.
Stan Wawrinka's formidable big-game record against the Big 3
Despite having a losing record to the Big 3 overall, Stan Wawrinka has proved time and again that on the big stage he is capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone.
Wawrinka has defeated Roger Federer on just three occasions, but all of those wins have come at big tournaments. He got the better of his compatriot in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros 2015, on his way to picking up the trophy. He also defeated Roger Federer in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters in 2014.
Stan Wawrinka has defeated Novak Djokovic on six occasions, four of which have come at Grand Slams. In fact, Wawrinka has defeated the Serb on the way to winning each of his Grand Slam titles.
A memorable five-set quarterfinal triumph at the 2014 Australian Open was followed by back-to-back wins in Slam finals - at Roland Garros 2015 and US Open 2016.
Stan Wawrinka defeated Rafael Nadal too in an injury-ravaged final at Australian Open 2014, before beating a fully fit Nadal later that year on clay - in the Rome Masters quarterfinal. Against Andy Murray as well, the Swiss player has wins at Roland Garros and the US Open.