Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
It's really hard to summarize just one adjective for Stan Wawrinka, the formidable Swiss tennis player who is now forty years old. Entering his forties is a significant step, even more so for an indomitable athlete who, despite a thousand ailments, continues to ride his passion and play on the Pro tour, simply because he considers it the most beautiful thing in the world, the one that gives him the most happiness even if the glories are now behind him. Powerful, aggressive, often over the top and not always nice, Stan has smoothed out many rough edges over time, opened up and made himself well-liked. And then, seeing him on the court, spinning out real rocks from every position, defying the laws of physics and ballistics, is a unique experience. I have an indelible memory of him, from 2015. Paris, third round.
Wawrinka entered the elite of world tennis after his extraordinary winning run at the Australian Open the year before, his first Slam win by beating both Djokovic and Nadal in the same tournament, a feat no one had ever achieved at the time. More ups and downs for the Swiss, but the exceptional work done with Norman brought him to the Bois de Boulogne physically polished, and very serene. Early in the morning I arrived at the club and I met Stan himself getting out of the tournament car, and with big smiles he stopped to sign autographs for the guys, despite a few drops of spring rain, very annoying. He was serene, happy, you can see it from the way he was with the people, he walked relaxed towards the locker room. I then found him on court 3, which unfortunately no longer exists, against Steve Johnson for the third round match. That court was already a bit old at the time, but it had the advantage of reserving for us journalists a very narrow private stand, but… literally on the court, more or less at the height of the baseline, therefore an ideal position to scrutinize and feel the game. When the tennis players came laterally to hit backhands off-center on our side, you could almost feel the wind of the execution… On that first afternoon in Paris I was lucky enough to feel a sort of playful storm, admiring from two steps away the extraordinary one-handed backhand of Stan Wawrinka, never so powerful and precise.
Good old Steve Johnson is certainly not a champion, but on clay he has always made himself respected and is a tough guy, someone who has shots to put you in difficulty. That day Stan took him to school, in fact he brutally demolished him with senseless shots, of formidable power and precision. I distinctly remember a break point, which Johnson had earned with difficulty. The Swiss's first serve doesn't go in and the American is good at moving to the left and charging his forehand with all his might, inside out, a full shot that lands almost on the sideline. My gaze is quick from the bounce of the ball so much so that I don't have time to notice Wawrinka's reactivity who with incredible power arrives a meter from the stands to hit an absolute backhand swing, with the ball making an atomic roar and flying away down the line towards the opponent's court, dying at the intersection of the lines. Masterful execution, and the most beautiful thing is Stan's gaze that looks straight at us and makes a grimace as if to say, "well, what's strange, right?". Power, control, aggression, perhaps never in my life have I seen another clay-court tennis player manage to combine so much explosiveness with precision, capable of managing rotation and control like Wawrinka in that edition of Roland Garros. Next to us was also President Binaghi, under a white hat. I remember that after a few shots we exchanged a look... no words but the sharing of an incredible shot, between amazement and wonder. Returning to my computer, I wrote that this Wawrinka was hitting the ball like never before in his career and physically he looked at his best, quick and reactive. Be careful because if he can hold his head he can knock the bank out. Stan defeated Federer in the quarterfinals, Tsonga in the semifinals and even Djokovic in the final, in what remains one of the greatest feats of our sport in the modern era, given that the Serb was one step away from completing the Career Grand Slam, but nothing could stop the Swiss's push.
Wawrinka may have won less in his career than he could have, but his three Slams in singles are an exceptional feat if we consider that he achieved them by beating the best of the modern era, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. No help or luck, he went and took them by force, imposing an overall quality and strength in his impressive push. The only thing missing from his personal Slam was Wimbledon, but on the grass his undoubted heaviness has always been too big a handicap. He also won the Davis Cup with Switzerland, and even if the narrative wants it to be Federer's victory, in reality Stan was more decisive. In the end, the Swiss won the same Slams as Murray (but many fewer tournaments and placings), and on tour there is the belief that when Stan was on form, relaxed and physically reactive, he could beat them all. He was the classic player that all the best players hoped to find on the other side of the draw, because even if you played your best tennis, against him it might not be enough, even if your name was Djokovic, Nadal or Federer.
How many battles, how many great matches Wawrinka has given us, enormous emotions and moments of extraordinary tennis. And to think that when, still very young, he reached the final in Rome – beaten by Djokovic – it seemed difficult that he could become so great. Physically he was too heavy and not very reactive on the first step, and that impressive power often went out of control. It took Wawrinka a long time to believe in himself, to believe that ultimately we ourselves set our own limits and that with work we can knock down mountains and give ourselves dreams. It took the vision and patience of Magnus Norman, who picked him up as a good player and turned him into a champion, working sensationally on his physique to lighten him (just a little) and help him improve his reactivity on the first step towards the ball. He worked fantastically on his serve and forehand, which had become “improper” weapons, and he chiseled like a master goldsmith in his head, making him see perspectives that Stan himself had not even imagined.
Irascible, often over the top, not always nice or malleable, but a real person and a great talent, Wawrinka is one of the most talented tennis players of our time. Someone who has managed to raise his competitive level to the stars and play on equal terms against the best in the modern history of the game in their “Prime”. A guy who at 40 continues to push and train, even losing against people who in his best years he would have managed with absolute ease, but who accepts and lives this daily life with the serenity of someone who feels lucky. Because being a tennis player is the most beautiful thing in the world.
Happy birthday and thank you, legendary Stan!
Wawrinka entered the elite of world tennis after his extraordinary winning run at the Australian Open the year before, his first Slam win by beating both Djokovic and Nadal in the same tournament, a feat no one had ever achieved at the time. More ups and downs for the Swiss, but the exceptional work done with Norman brought him to the Bois de Boulogne physically polished, and very serene. Early in the morning I arrived at the club and I met Stan himself getting out of the tournament car, and with big smiles he stopped to sign autographs for the guys, despite a few drops of spring rain, very annoying. He was serene, happy, you can see it from the way he was with the people, he walked relaxed towards the locker room. I then found him on court 3, which unfortunately no longer exists, against Steve Johnson for the third round match. That court was already a bit old at the time, but it had the advantage of reserving for us journalists a very narrow private stand, but… literally on the court, more or less at the height of the baseline, therefore an ideal position to scrutinize and feel the game. When the tennis players came laterally to hit backhands off-center on our side, you could almost feel the wind of the execution… On that first afternoon in Paris I was lucky enough to feel a sort of playful storm, admiring from two steps away the extraordinary one-handed backhand of Stan Wawrinka, never so powerful and precise.
Good old Steve Johnson is certainly not a champion, but on clay he has always made himself respected and is a tough guy, someone who has shots to put you in difficulty. That day Stan took him to school, in fact he brutally demolished him with senseless shots, of formidable power and precision. I distinctly remember a break point, which Johnson had earned with difficulty. The Swiss's first serve doesn't go in and the American is good at moving to the left and charging his forehand with all his might, inside out, a full shot that lands almost on the sideline. My gaze is quick from the bounce of the ball so much so that I don't have time to notice Wawrinka's reactivity who with incredible power arrives a meter from the stands to hit an absolute backhand swing, with the ball making an atomic roar and flying away down the line towards the opponent's court, dying at the intersection of the lines. Masterful execution, and the most beautiful thing is Stan's gaze that looks straight at us and makes a grimace as if to say, "well, what's strange, right?". Power, control, aggression, perhaps never in my life have I seen another clay-court tennis player manage to combine so much explosiveness with precision, capable of managing rotation and control like Wawrinka in that edition of Roland Garros. Next to us was also President Binaghi, under a white hat. I remember that after a few shots we exchanged a look... no words but the sharing of an incredible shot, between amazement and wonder. Returning to my computer, I wrote that this Wawrinka was hitting the ball like never before in his career and physically he looked at his best, quick and reactive. Be careful because if he can hold his head he can knock the bank out. Stan defeated Federer in the quarterfinals, Tsonga in the semifinals and even Djokovic in the final, in what remains one of the greatest feats of our sport in the modern era, given that the Serb was one step away from completing the Career Grand Slam, but nothing could stop the Swiss's push.
Wawrinka may have won less in his career than he could have, but his three Slams in singles are an exceptional feat if we consider that he achieved them by beating the best of the modern era, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. No help or luck, he went and took them by force, imposing an overall quality and strength in his impressive push. The only thing missing from his personal Slam was Wimbledon, but on the grass his undoubted heaviness has always been too big a handicap. He also won the Davis Cup with Switzerland, and even if the narrative wants it to be Federer's victory, in reality Stan was more decisive. In the end, the Swiss won the same Slams as Murray (but many fewer tournaments and placings), and on tour there is the belief that when Stan was on form, relaxed and physically reactive, he could beat them all. He was the classic player that all the best players hoped to find on the other side of the draw, because even if you played your best tennis, against him it might not be enough, even if your name was Djokovic, Nadal or Federer.
How many battles, how many great matches Wawrinka has given us, enormous emotions and moments of extraordinary tennis. And to think that when, still very young, he reached the final in Rome – beaten by Djokovic – it seemed difficult that he could become so great. Physically he was too heavy and not very reactive on the first step, and that impressive power often went out of control. It took Wawrinka a long time to believe in himself, to believe that ultimately we ourselves set our own limits and that with work we can knock down mountains and give ourselves dreams. It took the vision and patience of Magnus Norman, who picked him up as a good player and turned him into a champion, working sensationally on his physique to lighten him (just a little) and help him improve his reactivity on the first step towards the ball. He worked fantastically on his serve and forehand, which had become “improper” weapons, and he chiseled like a master goldsmith in his head, making him see perspectives that Stan himself had not even imagined.
Irascible, often over the top, not always nice or malleable, but a real person and a great talent, Wawrinka is one of the most talented tennis players of our time. Someone who has managed to raise his competitive level to the stars and play on equal terms against the best in the modern history of the game in their “Prime”. A guy who at 40 continues to push and train, even losing against people who in his best years he would have managed with absolute ease, but who accepts and lives this daily life with the serenity of someone who feels lucky. Because being a tennis player is the most beautiful thing in the world.
Happy birthday and thank you, legendary Stan!
