Stan Wawrinka was undoubtedly one of the most talented players of his generation, although he lived most of his career in the shadow of legends such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
The Swiss champion would certainly have won much more without these three sacred monsters, who monopolized the men’s tour for almost two decades. The player from Lausanne has often lost to the Big 3 in Grand Slam tournaments, but he was also able to reach impressive peaks in the second half of his career that allowed him to win three Major titles (like Andy Murray).
Although the Swiss has been less consistent at the highest level than the Scotsman, there is no doubt that ‘Stanimal’ has left fans speechless on several occasions. Everyone remembers his triumphs at the 2014 Australian Open (beating Nadal in the final), the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open (defeating Djokovic in both circumstances) respectively.
Wawrinka also won the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 in 2014, prevailing over his illustrious compatriot Federer in the final.
Wawrinka on facing Djokovic
In particular, the Swiss ace has always had a lot of fun facing Djokovic. Their match-up has often created memorable challenges, even in Grand Slam tournaments, which have driven the crowd crazy.
Although Stan is behind 21-6 in h2h against Nole, he has defeated him in two Grand Slam finals and their clashes in Australia have been among the best matches of the modern era.
“I always felt very good when I faced Novak” – Wawrinka confessed in a recent interview with a Swiss broadcaster. “It may seem strange that I would say this, since I have lost many times to him. He destroyed me on several occasions and often gave me the feeling that I was playing against an almost perfect tennis player. He has the most complete game I’ve ever seen.”
‘Stanimal’ also commented on the experience of facing Nadal at the French Open: “I was under pressure on every shot, it was simply impossible to throw winners at him on that court.”
Tennis World USA