The other Swiss steps out of Roger Federer's shadows - The coming of age of Stanislas Wawrinka
The words Switzerland and tennis when taken together conjure memories of a gentleman who is arguably one of the best ever to have graced the courts – Roger Federer.
With 78 titles and 17 Grand Slam titles, Federer is revered by fans and critics alike, and many believe him to be the greatest player of all time (GOAT).
In stark contrast to Federer’s huge popularity stands his doubles partner, fellow countryman and best friend Stanislas Wawrinka.
Wawrinka was Federer’s doubles partner in their gold medal triumph at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the two were subsequently honored with the 2008 Swiss Team of the Year Award. Wawrinka, in fact, has been Roger’s doubles partner over the years while playing for Switzerland.
Yet, he has always remained in the shadow of his fellow Swiss, and despite being in the top 20 since 2008, never really got the admiration or the media coverage that he deserved.
Good friends, Wawrinka and Federer, embrace each other at the end of the Monte Carlo final
It was partly due to his inability to win major tournaments. Critics considered his mental strength to be his biggest weakness as he was known to falter in the biggest matches.
This was evidenced by his win ratio in tournament finals and his head-to-head records against the so-called Big Four of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
So much so, that Wawrinka used to refer to himself as “the Swiss tennis player who loses.”
He has seen so many big match failures that he carries a tattoo on his left forearm to inspire him. It quotes the Irish writer Samuel Beckett in italic script in English: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.“
The tattoo on Wawrinka’s forearm
Apart from his mental frailties, his game has also been described as edgy and “clumsy”, despite his immense talent. After his third round win over 21-year-old Jesse Levine at the 2009 Wimbledon, The Sunday Times reviewed Wawrinka’s performance in the match by opining that he “is a strange player, clearly talented but short of match fitness and as clumsy on court as Federer is graceful.”
But certain aspects of his game made legends take notice. John McEnroe described his backhand as “one of the most powerful backhands” he had ever seen and said that Stan had “the best one-handed backhand in the game today”.
Wawrinka had a good game overall and was clearly very talented. He was capable of playing well on most surfaces, especially on clay and hard courts, and well known for his fast serve which used to go up to 232 kph.
‘Stan’, as the Swiss is known, had developed a reputation as a powerful, attacking baseliner with huge shot-making ability and natural aggression, but a tendency to fold under pressure against the biggest players.
This is where his new coach Magnus Norman came in. Before joining Wawrinka in 2o13, Norman had been heavily involved in training fellow Swede Thomas Johansson, helping him become a surpise winner of the 2002 Australian Open.
Norman then coached Robin Soderling, and converted him from a decent, but jobbing pro who lingered outside the top 20 and never got past the third round of a Grand Slam to world number 4, winning minor titles and reaching the French Open final after becoming the first man in 31 matches to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.
Stanislas Wawrinka badly needed a similar turnaround. And he did get one eventually.
He became a completely different player. His confidence in himself improved, he started maximizing his ability under pressure instead of crumbling when it mattered the most, and his consistency improved as a result.
”I trust myself when I go on court. I know that I can beat those players. I try everything to beat them. Even when I [lose], I go back to practice to try to improve.”, he said.
And the impact was almost immediate as, a few months later, he managed to see off David Ferrer to win a clay-court tournament in Portugal.
He was then able to oust defending champion Andy Murray in the US Open (2013), and undeterred by his semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic, impressed at the World Tour Finals.
The pinnacle, however, was this year’s Australian Open, where he enjoyed an absolute dream run.
He took out Novak Djokovic in the quarters after 14 consecutive losses against him, and in the final went on to beat top seed Rafael Nadal in four sets, after having failed to win a set against him in their previous 12 meetings, to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title. A major long overdue for him.
Wawrinka holding aloft the trophy at the 2014 Australian Open
Wawrinka’s win was only the second time since 2005 that a player outside of the ‘Big Four’ had won a major. He also became the first player to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic in a single Grand Slam tournament.
With this win, Wawrinka for the first time in his career cracked into the top 5, becoming world No. 3, and the Swiss No.1 ahead of Federer for the first time.
Which is why this Monte Carlo final last week was important, because it was a meeting of the Swiss No.1 and No. 2, and an opportunity for Stan to justify his higher billing, having been the less-celebrated understudy to Federer over the years.
The stage was set for the first all Swiss final in 14 years. Coming into the final, Stan had only beaten Roger once, but it was at Monte Carlo five years ago, and both players were in fine form entering the match.
In the first set, Federer secured an early break and prevented any chances of Wawrinka breaking and closed out the opener. However, Stan fought back to take a close second set in a tiebreak, and after that, all the momentum had switched to Stan and he did not relinquish his advantage, winning his first Masters 1000 title on his third attempt.
Stanislas Wawrinka with the Monte Carlo trophy after beating compatriot Roger Federer
“I’m really, really happy with my match today. I did a great job and I’m enjoying it a lot,” said Wawrinka, who received the trophy from Monaco’s Prince Albert and Princess Charlene.
This tournament is in no way close to a Grand Slam, but what made this final, and this win important was that it was a watershed event in tennis in general, and Swiss tennis in particular. The understudy had finally emerged from the long shadow of his great friend and world champion Roger Federer.
“It’s amazing for me. It’s always special to play against Roger, my best friend and the best player ever. It’s always difficult to play him, especially in the final.”, said an emotional Wawrinka.
So, as the tennis world keenly watches the clay court season leading up to the Roland Garros in May, there is one player who would be closely watched and analyzed; his game dissected and his chances calculated.
He would be the new Swiss No. 1. The 29-year-old with the undying attitude whose time seems to have finally arrived.
Ladies and gentlemen, Stanislas Wawrinka!