Stanislas Wawrinka (French: [stanislas vavʁiŋka] born 28 March 1985) is a Swiss professional tennis player. He reached a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world No. 3 singles ranking for the first time on 27 January 2014.[3] His career highlights include three Grand Slam titles at the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open, where he defeated the No. 1 player in the final on all three occasions, reaching the final of the 2017 French Open, winning an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2014, and reaching three other finals at 2008 Rome, 2013 Madrid and 2017 Indian Wells.
Wawrinka considers clay his best and favorite surface and his serve and backhand his best shots. John McEnroe once said that Wawrinka has one of the most powerful backhands ever, and in 2009 described him as having "the best one-handed backhand in the game."[4] He has been described by The Economist as "Tennis's great latecomer", owing to finding success late in his career.[5] Prior to the 2014 French Open, he requested and the ATP granted a formal change in his name from "Stanislas Wawrinka" to "Stan Wawrinka", stating that he plans to use the abbreviated name in tournament draws and press conferences
Tennis career
Wawrinka started playing tennis at the age of eight, and played once a week until he was eleven, when he started to practice three times a week. Wawrinka stopped attending regular schooling at age 15 to focus full-time on tennis. However, he continued his schooling by distance education with the French organization CNED, which offered him greater flexibility.[7][8]
Wawrinka turned professional in 2002 at the age of 17. He was coached from age eight until June 2010 by Dimitri Zavialoff.[9]
Wawrinka is a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner, Olympic champion and Davis Cup champion for his country. He achieved a Top 10 ranking by the ATP for the first time on 12 May 2008, and first reached a career peak of world No. 3 on 27 January 2014, at the same time as he became the Swiss No. 1.
He has reached four Grand Slam singles finals in his career to date, winning three: the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open; each time he defeated the reigning world No. 1 in the championship match (Rafael Nadal once and Novak Djokovic twice, respectively). In doubles and team tennis for Switzerland, he has won a gold medal in the men's doubles event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, partnering with Roger Federer, and the Davis Cup in 2014. He played in the longest doubles match in history at the 2013 Davis Cup, in a tie against the Czech Republic, partnering with Marco Chiudinelli.[10]
2002–2003: Juniors and turning pro
Wawrinka started playing international junior events at age 14 and entered the satellite circuit the following year. In 2002 Wawrinka became professional. In 2003 he had his first steps on the tour and ended the year ranked No. 169. He compiled an outstanding junior career, winning the Junior French Open in 2003 and reaching as high as No. 7 in the junior world rankings in June 2003.[11]
2004–2007: Early career and first title
On 11 July, at Gstaad, Wawrinka progressed into his first ever career final, in doubles, with Marc Rosset as his partner. The Swiss pair lost in the final to Leander Paes and David Rikl. That year Wawrinka had his Davis Cup debut with the Swiss National Team. Wawrinka lost his first match against Victor Hănescu in a dead rubber. Switzerland won the tie 3–2 against Romania and progressed into the World Group quarterfinals. He finished the year ranked No. 162 in the world rankings.
Wawrinka had his Grand Slam debut at the French Open. He won against 22nd seed and Olympic Gold Medalist Nicolás Massú in the first round, in four sets. In the second round, Wawrinka came from two sets down to defeat James Blake. His run ended in the third round losing in four sets to the eventual runner-up Mariano Puerta.
After the French Open, Wawrinka had his first Wimbledon experience but lost in the first round to Fabrice Santoro in four sets. Wawrinka had his first singles final at the Swiss Open, but lost to Gastón Gaudio.
At the US Open, Wawrinka defeated Rajeev Ram and Mariano Puerta in five sets before losing in the third round to Nicolás Massú. By the end of 2005, he hovered just inside the top 50.
In July, Wawrinka won his first ATP title, at the Croatia Open Umag, when his opponent in the final, Novak Djokovic, retired through fatigue.[12]
In October, Wawrinka reached a then career-high ranking of No. 29.[13]
In the Australian Open, Wawrinka reached the third round and was beaten by second seed Rafael Nadal, losing in straight sets. He showed some impressive backhand skills, but was unable to deal with Nadal's heavy game.
He suffered a three-month setback, tearing a tendon in his right knee while practicing for the Swiss Davis Cup team's tie against Spain in February.
In the French Open Wawrinka pushed seventh seed Ivan Ljubičić to four sets in the second round. He also claimed wins over Guillermo Cañas and Juan Ignacio Chela en route to a meeting with Rafael Nadal in the final of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart in July. Nadal defeated Wawrinka in straight sets.
In the US Open, Wawrinka reached the fourth round, a stage he had never reached previously in a Grand Slam event, defeating 25th seed Marat Safin in straight sets in the second round. In the fourth round, he was ousted by Juan Ignacio Chela in five sets.
2008–2012: Top 10, first Masters final, Olympic Gold
By reaching the final of the Masters Series event in Rome, Wawrinka entered the top 10 for the first time. He lost in the final to Novak Djokovic, despite taking the opening set.
In the Olympics, Wawrinka teamed with Roger Federer in men's doubles. They beat the favoured Americans Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals in straight sets; then in the final, defeated Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden in four sets to win the gold medal.
Wawrinka reached the fourth round of the US Open, where British player Andy Murray defeated him in straight sets.
Wawrinka lost to Rafael Nadal in the fourth round at the Miami Masters in Key Biscayne. Nadal came from behind in both sets to beat Wawrinka in two tie-breaks.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka defeated No. 2 Roger Federer in straight sets, an upset which halted the chance of a fourth straight Nadal-Federer final in Monte Carlo.
At the French Open Wawrinka defeated Nicolas Devilder in five sets and Nicolás Massú in straight sets. He lost to Nikolay Davydenko in the third round in four sets.
At Wimbledon, in the third round he defeated 21-year-old Jesse Levine, who had upset Marat Safin in the first round.[14] 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."[15] Wawrinka was defeated by Andy Murray in five sets in the fourth round. The match was also a debut usage of the new roof on Centre Court and was the latest match at Wimbledon, lasting until 22:37 GMT.[16][17]
Wawrinka played in the Davis Cup tie with Italy and won in his first match against Andreas Seppi in straight sets.[18]
Wawrinka started his 2010 season by reaching the final of the Chennai Open, losing to Marin Čilić in two tie-breaks. This was Wawrinka's fifth consecutive loss in an ATP final. He reached the third round at the Australian Open, losing to Čilić again. Wawrinka returned to the ATP Tour at the Sony Ericsson Open after his wife gave birth to their daughter. He defeated Kevin Anderson, before losing to Mikhail Youzhny in the third round. He started his clay-court season in Casablanca at the 2010 Grand Prix Hassan II. After receiving a first-round bye, he defeated Slovakian qualifier Martin Kližan in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he defeated wildcard Reda El Amrani in straight sets. In the semifinals, he defeated Italian Potito Starace in three sets to advance to his second ATP final of 2010. In the final, he defeated Romanian Victor Hănescu in straight sets to win his second ATP Tournament. With this tournament win, he snapped a five-match losing streak in ATP finals and a 3½-year title drought. It was also the first professional singles final Wawrinka won, as his previous ATP victory occurred due to a retirement.
Wawrinka became the 13th seed at the Monte-Carlo Masters and defeated Victor Hănescu in the first round in a rematch of the Casablanca final. He then beat Latvian Ernests Gulbis to advance to the third round. He was defeated by Novak Djokovic. Wawrinka reached the quarterfinals in Rome, losing to Rafael Nadal, and the semifinals in Belgrade, losing to John Isner. At the French Open, where he was the 20th seed, he reached the fourth round without dropping a set, defeating Jan Hájek in the first round. In the second round, he defeated German Andreas Beck, and in the third round, he beat Italian Fabio Fognini, before losing to Roger Federer in the fourth round.
After an unsuccessful grass season, where he lost in the first round of Wimbledon, Wawrinka separated from his coach since childhood and hired Peter Lundgren, former coach of Marat Safin and Federer. The partnership with Lundgren showed its benefits in the US Open, where Wawrinka reached the quarterfinals, beating fourth seed Andy Murray along the way.
Wawrinka started off 2011 by defeating No. 6 Tomáš Berdych along the way to claiming the Chennai Open crown. Wawrinka beat Xavier Malisse in the final in three sets. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2011 Australian Open, after defeating Andy Roddick in three sets to set up an all-Swiss quarterfinal with Roger Federer, which he lost in straight sets. He also came back from two sets and a break down to defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round of the French Open, before being defeated by Federer once more. Wawrinka was defeated by Simone Bolelli in the second round of Wimbledon and Donald Young at the same stage of the US Open.[19]
In September, Wawrinka announced that he had parted ways with Lundgren. He played the rest of the season without a coach.[20]
At the Swiss Indoors tournament, Wawrinka made it to the semifinals, after defeating Florian Mayer in the quarterfinals. In an all-Swiss semifinal, he was defeated by Roger Federer in straight sets.
Wawrinka started the season in Chennai, where he made the quarterfinals, before being defeated by Go Soeda.
At the Australian Open, he made it to the third round, defeating Benoît Paire and Marcos Baghdatis, before being eliminated by Nicolás Almagro.
In his Davis Cup tie against Mardy Fish in February, he lost in five sets. Later in February, he traveled to Buenos Aires and Acapulco, where he made to the semifinals, before losing again to Almagro and Fernando Verdasco, respectively.
In Monte Carlo, he defeated three Spaniards, Feliciano López, Pablo Andújar, and Almagro, making it to the quarterfinals before losing to another Spaniard, No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the eventual champion. In doubles, he teamed with Victor Troicki, and they made it to the quarterfinals.
In Estoril, he made it to the semifinals, but was defeated by Juan Martín del Potro.
Wawrinka made the fourth round of the French Open after defeating Flavio Cipolla, Andújar, and Gilles Simon. He was defeated by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round, once again coming from two sets down to take the match into a fifth set and recovering a 4–1 deficit in the decider before Tsonga finally prevailed. [21]
Wawrinka then had a series of first-round exits at Wimbledon, Gstaad, and in the Summer Olympics, where he lost to the eventual gold medallist Andy Murray. He was the flag bearer of Switzerland during the Summer Olympics Parade of Nations.[22] He teamed with Roger Federer again in doubles at the Olympics, but they were eliminated in the second round.[23]
He made the semifinals of the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, before he was defeated by Federer, the eventual champion. Wawrinka again also played doubles with Jarkko Nieminen, and they were eliminated in the second round.
At the US Open, Wawrinka reached the fourth round, but was forced to retire in his match against second seed Novak Djokovic due to illness.
2013: BreakthroughWawrinka teamed with Frenchman Benoît Paire to win the doubles title at the Chennai Open against the German team of Andre Begemann and Martin Emmrich.
At the Australian Open, he made it to the fourth round. He lost a gruelling five-set thriller against Novak Djokovic which lasted just over five hours, finally losing in the 22nd game of the fifth set. "It definitely ranks right at the top", said Djokovic, after his victory over the Swiss. "One of the longest, most interesting, and most exciting matches I have played in my career."[24]
In the first round of the Davis Cup on 2 February 2013, he played the longest ATP doubles match in history. He and Marco Chiudinelli were defeated by Lukáš Rosol and Tomáš Berdych of the Czech Republic in 7 hours and 2 minutes, including a 46-game-long final set. The match was the second-longest ATP match ever (singles and doubles combined).
Wawrinka made it to the final of the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires, losing to David Ferrer in that final.
Wawrinka won the fourth title of his career at the Portugal Open, where he defeated the top seed and No. 4 David Ferrer. This was his first title since January 2011.
In the Madrid Masters, Wawrinka's run of success continued, with a three-set win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. The following day, he defeated Tomáš Berdych, also in three sets, to advance to his second Masters 1000 final against Rafael Nadal. With this victory, he also re-entered the Top 10 at No. 10, and stayed inside the Top 10 till 2018. He lost the final in straight sets.
He made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time after recovering from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet in the fourth round, but subsequently lost to defending and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
He started the grass-court season at the Topshelf Open in 's-Hertogenbosch and made it to the final, where he lost to grass-court specialist Nicolas Mahut. At Wimbledon, he lost in the first round to Lleyton Hewitt.
In the US Open, Wawrinka reached his first Grand Slam semifinal, losing to top seed Novak Djokovic, again in five tightly contested sets. Previously he had defeated No. 5 Tomáš Berdych in four sets in the fourth round and No. 3 and defending champion Andy Murray in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
After his Grand Slam breakthrough, Wawrinka continued to display solid form, reaching the semifinals in Kuala Lumpur, where he lost to Julien Benneteau, and quarterfinals of Masters 1000 tournaments in Shanghai and Paris, losing to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, respectively.
Wawrinka went to the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time in his career. He made an impact on the tournament, beating Tomáš Berdych and David Ferrer in round-robin matches. Although he lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets for the twelfth time in his career, both sets were finished in tight tiebreaks, and the Swiss actually won more points in the match. Wawrinka advanced in second place to the semifinals, where he met Novak Djokovic and lost to him for the fourth time that year.
2014: First Grand Slam, Masters & Davis Cup titles, world No. 3
Main article: 2014 Stan Wawrinka tennis season
Wawrinka began his ninth season on the ATP World Tour with a win at the Chennai Open in India, winning this tournament for the second time in his career, defeating Édouard Roger-Vasselin in the final in straight sets.
At the Australian Open, Wawrinka beat Andrey Golubev and Alejandro Falla in the first two rounds, then had a walkover when Vasek Pospisil pulled out of their third-round match, followed by a straight-set win over Tommy Robredo. Wawrinka's quarterfinal opponent was Novak Djokovic, and this time Wawrinka won in five sets, taking the deciding fifth set 9–7 after being a break down. The victory ended a 14-match losing streak against the three-time reigning champion. He then faced off against another first-time Australian Open semifinalist, Tomáš Berdych, winning the match in four tight sets (including three tiebreaks). In the ensuing final, he defeated No. 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets, thus denying Nadal's attempt for the distinction of being the only active men's tennis player to hold at least two titles at each of the four Grand Slam tournaments. The victory was his first win over Nadal in 13 attempts (having never won a set against him in their previous 12 meetings), and also made him the first man since Sergi Bruguera in 1993 to beat both of the top two seeds en route to a Grand Slam title.[25] (Bruguera defeated No. 1 Pete Sampras and No. 2 Jim Courier at the 1993 French Open). This was also only the second time since 2005 that a player outside of the 'Big Four' (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray) had won a Grand Slam title, and the first since Juan Martín del Potro won the US Open in 2009. In addition, Wawrinka became the first player to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic in a single Grand Slam tournament.[26] He is also the second Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title after Federer.
Due to his championship victory at the Australian Open, Wawrinka for the first time in his career reached the top five, becoming No. 3, and the top-ranked Swiss player in the world ahead of Federer for the first time.
Playing for Switzerland in the first round of the Davis Cup against Serbia, he defeated Dusan Lajovic in four sets in the second rubber. Switzerland went on to win the tie 3–2 (after an unassailable 3–0 lead) to reach their first Davis Cup quarterfinal since 2004.
After a one-month break, he next played at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells as the third seed. In his opening round (after receiving a first-round bye due to his seeding), he overcame Ivo Karlović in straight sets. In the third round, he defeated Andreas Seppi dropping only two games. In the fourth round, his 13-match winning streak from the start of the season came to an end against Kevin Anderson.
At the Miami Masters, he made it to the fourth round after defeating Daniel Gimeno-Traver and Édouard Roger-Vasselin, before losing to an in-form Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Wawrinka returned to Switzerland's Davis Cup team for their quarterfinal against Kazakhstan. Wawrinka was beaten in his first match by Andrey Golubev, then (after Federer had levelled the tie by beating Mikhail Kukushkin) he and Federer lost their doubles match to Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovesov. However, Wawrinka then came from a set down to beat Kukushkin and level the match again. Federer won the deciding rubber to send Switzerland to the semifinals, where they would play Italy.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka crushed Marin Čilić in the second round, losing only two games in the process. He then received a walkover in the third round to Nicolás Almagro. In the quarterfinal, Wawrinka defeated Milos Raonic in straight sets to secure his second semifinal appearance in the principality. Wawrinka defeated David Ferrer in the semifinals to become one of the few players to reach the finals of all 3 Masters tournament on clay. The stage was set for the first all-Swiss final in fourteen years, as he would take on his friend Roger Federer. In the first set, Federer secured an early break and prevented any chances of Wawrinka breaking and closed out the opener. However, Wawrinka fought back to take a close second set in a tiebreak, and after that, Wawrinka gained the momentum. He did not relinquish his advantage, winning his first Masters 1000 title on his third attempt. In doing so, Wawrinka took over the top spot in the 'Race to London'. Thus far, Wawrinka had defeated Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer that season, whom he had a 2–15, 0–12, and 1–13 record respectively, coming into the 2014 season. However, Wawrinka had less success in his next two tournaments, losing in the second round in Madrid to Dominic Thiem and the third round of Rome to Tommy Haas. Wawinka then suffered a first-round defeat to Guillermo García-López in the French Open.
Later that month, Wawrinka participated in the Aegon Championships, knocking out Marcos Baghdatis, Sam Querrey, and Marinko Matosevic without dropping a set, before losing to eventual champion Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals.
Wawrinka was seeded fifth for Wimbledon due to the tournament's seeding process being a combination of world ranking and recent grass court form, meaning Wawrinka (who had lost in the first round the previous two years) was seeded lower than No. 5 Andy Murray and No. 4 Roger Federer as they had won the title the previous two seasons. Wawrinka proceeded to have his best-ever run at the tournament, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time, dropping just one set in the process. He faced Federer in the first all-Swiss men's quarterfinal in Wimbledon history, losing in four close sets.
Wawrinka was seeded third for the US Open due to Nadal's withdrawal. He reached his fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal from the last seven tournaments, defeating Tommy Robredo in four sets in the fourth round, having survived set points in the third-set tiebreaker. He was eventually beaten by finalist Kei Nishikori in five sets
Wawrinka considers clay his best and favorite surface and his serve and backhand his best shots. John McEnroe once said that Wawrinka has one of the most powerful backhands ever, and in 2009 described him as having "the best one-handed backhand in the game."[4] He has been described by The Economist as "Tennis's great latecomer", owing to finding success late in his career.[5] Prior to the 2014 French Open, he requested and the ATP granted a formal change in his name from "Stanislas Wawrinka" to "Stan Wawrinka", stating that he plans to use the abbreviated name in tournament draws and press conferences
Tennis career
Wawrinka started playing tennis at the age of eight, and played once a week until he was eleven, when he started to practice three times a week. Wawrinka stopped attending regular schooling at age 15 to focus full-time on tennis. However, he continued his schooling by distance education with the French organization CNED, which offered him greater flexibility.[7][8]
Wawrinka turned professional in 2002 at the age of 17. He was coached from age eight until June 2010 by Dimitri Zavialoff.[9]
Wawrinka is a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner, Olympic champion and Davis Cup champion for his country. He achieved a Top 10 ranking by the ATP for the first time on 12 May 2008, and first reached a career peak of world No. 3 on 27 January 2014, at the same time as he became the Swiss No. 1.
He has reached four Grand Slam singles finals in his career to date, winning three: the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open; each time he defeated the reigning world No. 1 in the championship match (Rafael Nadal once and Novak Djokovic twice, respectively). In doubles and team tennis for Switzerland, he has won a gold medal in the men's doubles event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, partnering with Roger Federer, and the Davis Cup in 2014. He played in the longest doubles match in history at the 2013 Davis Cup, in a tie against the Czech Republic, partnering with Marco Chiudinelli.[10]
2002–2003: Juniors and turning pro
Wawrinka started playing international junior events at age 14 and entered the satellite circuit the following year. In 2002 Wawrinka became professional. In 2003 he had his first steps on the tour and ended the year ranked No. 169. He compiled an outstanding junior career, winning the Junior French Open in 2003 and reaching as high as No. 7 in the junior world rankings in June 2003.[11]
2004–2007: Early career and first title
On 11 July, at Gstaad, Wawrinka progressed into his first ever career final, in doubles, with Marc Rosset as his partner. The Swiss pair lost in the final to Leander Paes and David Rikl. That year Wawrinka had his Davis Cup debut with the Swiss National Team. Wawrinka lost his first match against Victor Hănescu in a dead rubber. Switzerland won the tie 3–2 against Romania and progressed into the World Group quarterfinals. He finished the year ranked No. 162 in the world rankings.
Wawrinka had his Grand Slam debut at the French Open. He won against 22nd seed and Olympic Gold Medalist Nicolás Massú in the first round, in four sets. In the second round, Wawrinka came from two sets down to defeat James Blake. His run ended in the third round losing in four sets to the eventual runner-up Mariano Puerta.
After the French Open, Wawrinka had his first Wimbledon experience but lost in the first round to Fabrice Santoro in four sets. Wawrinka had his first singles final at the Swiss Open, but lost to Gastón Gaudio.
At the US Open, Wawrinka defeated Rajeev Ram and Mariano Puerta in five sets before losing in the third round to Nicolás Massú. By the end of 2005, he hovered just inside the top 50.
In July, Wawrinka won his first ATP title, at the Croatia Open Umag, when his opponent in the final, Novak Djokovic, retired through fatigue.[12]
In October, Wawrinka reached a then career-high ranking of No. 29.[13]
In the Australian Open, Wawrinka reached the third round and was beaten by second seed Rafael Nadal, losing in straight sets. He showed some impressive backhand skills, but was unable to deal with Nadal's heavy game.
He suffered a three-month setback, tearing a tendon in his right knee while practicing for the Swiss Davis Cup team's tie against Spain in February.
In the French Open Wawrinka pushed seventh seed Ivan Ljubičić to four sets in the second round. He also claimed wins over Guillermo Cañas and Juan Ignacio Chela en route to a meeting with Rafael Nadal in the final of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart in July. Nadal defeated Wawrinka in straight sets.
In the US Open, Wawrinka reached the fourth round, a stage he had never reached previously in a Grand Slam event, defeating 25th seed Marat Safin in straight sets in the second round. In the fourth round, he was ousted by Juan Ignacio Chela in five sets.
2008–2012: Top 10, first Masters final, Olympic Gold
By reaching the final of the Masters Series event in Rome, Wawrinka entered the top 10 for the first time. He lost in the final to Novak Djokovic, despite taking the opening set.
In the Olympics, Wawrinka teamed with Roger Federer in men's doubles. They beat the favoured Americans Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals in straight sets; then in the final, defeated Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden in four sets to win the gold medal.
Wawrinka reached the fourth round of the US Open, where British player Andy Murray defeated him in straight sets.
Wawrinka lost to Rafael Nadal in the fourth round at the Miami Masters in Key Biscayne. Nadal came from behind in both sets to beat Wawrinka in two tie-breaks.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka defeated No. 2 Roger Federer in straight sets, an upset which halted the chance of a fourth straight Nadal-Federer final in Monte Carlo.
At the French Open Wawrinka defeated Nicolas Devilder in five sets and Nicolás Massú in straight sets. He lost to Nikolay Davydenko in the third round in four sets.
At Wimbledon, in the third round he defeated 21-year-old Jesse Levine, who had upset Marat Safin in the first round.[14] 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."[15] Wawrinka was defeated by Andy Murray in five sets in the fourth round. The match was also a debut usage of the new roof on Centre Court and was the latest match at Wimbledon, lasting until 22:37 GMT.[16][17]
Wawrinka played in the Davis Cup tie with Italy and won in his first match against Andreas Seppi in straight sets.[18]
Wawrinka started his 2010 season by reaching the final of the Chennai Open, losing to Marin Čilić in two tie-breaks. This was Wawrinka's fifth consecutive loss in an ATP final. He reached the third round at the Australian Open, losing to Čilić again. Wawrinka returned to the ATP Tour at the Sony Ericsson Open after his wife gave birth to their daughter. He defeated Kevin Anderson, before losing to Mikhail Youzhny in the third round. He started his clay-court season in Casablanca at the 2010 Grand Prix Hassan II. After receiving a first-round bye, he defeated Slovakian qualifier Martin Kližan in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he defeated wildcard Reda El Amrani in straight sets. In the semifinals, he defeated Italian Potito Starace in three sets to advance to his second ATP final of 2010. In the final, he defeated Romanian Victor Hănescu in straight sets to win his second ATP Tournament. With this tournament win, he snapped a five-match losing streak in ATP finals and a 3½-year title drought. It was also the first professional singles final Wawrinka won, as his previous ATP victory occurred due to a retirement.
Wawrinka became the 13th seed at the Monte-Carlo Masters and defeated Victor Hănescu in the first round in a rematch of the Casablanca final. He then beat Latvian Ernests Gulbis to advance to the third round. He was defeated by Novak Djokovic. Wawrinka reached the quarterfinals in Rome, losing to Rafael Nadal, and the semifinals in Belgrade, losing to John Isner. At the French Open, where he was the 20th seed, he reached the fourth round without dropping a set, defeating Jan Hájek in the first round. In the second round, he defeated German Andreas Beck, and in the third round, he beat Italian Fabio Fognini, before losing to Roger Federer in the fourth round.
After an unsuccessful grass season, where he lost in the first round of Wimbledon, Wawrinka separated from his coach since childhood and hired Peter Lundgren, former coach of Marat Safin and Federer. The partnership with Lundgren showed its benefits in the US Open, where Wawrinka reached the quarterfinals, beating fourth seed Andy Murray along the way.
Wawrinka started off 2011 by defeating No. 6 Tomáš Berdych along the way to claiming the Chennai Open crown. Wawrinka beat Xavier Malisse in the final in three sets. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2011 Australian Open, after defeating Andy Roddick in three sets to set up an all-Swiss quarterfinal with Roger Federer, which he lost in straight sets. He also came back from two sets and a break down to defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round of the French Open, before being defeated by Federer once more. Wawrinka was defeated by Simone Bolelli in the second round of Wimbledon and Donald Young at the same stage of the US Open.[19]
In September, Wawrinka announced that he had parted ways with Lundgren. He played the rest of the season without a coach.[20]
At the Swiss Indoors tournament, Wawrinka made it to the semifinals, after defeating Florian Mayer in the quarterfinals. In an all-Swiss semifinal, he was defeated by Roger Federer in straight sets.
Wawrinka started the season in Chennai, where he made the quarterfinals, before being defeated by Go Soeda.
At the Australian Open, he made it to the third round, defeating Benoît Paire and Marcos Baghdatis, before being eliminated by Nicolás Almagro.
In his Davis Cup tie against Mardy Fish in February, he lost in five sets. Later in February, he traveled to Buenos Aires and Acapulco, where he made to the semifinals, before losing again to Almagro and Fernando Verdasco, respectively.
In Monte Carlo, he defeated three Spaniards, Feliciano López, Pablo Andújar, and Almagro, making it to the quarterfinals before losing to another Spaniard, No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the eventual champion. In doubles, he teamed with Victor Troicki, and they made it to the quarterfinals.
In Estoril, he made it to the semifinals, but was defeated by Juan Martín del Potro.
Wawrinka made the fourth round of the French Open after defeating Flavio Cipolla, Andújar, and Gilles Simon. He was defeated by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round, once again coming from two sets down to take the match into a fifth set and recovering a 4–1 deficit in the decider before Tsonga finally prevailed. [21]
Wawrinka then had a series of first-round exits at Wimbledon, Gstaad, and in the Summer Olympics, where he lost to the eventual gold medallist Andy Murray. He was the flag bearer of Switzerland during the Summer Olympics Parade of Nations.[22] He teamed with Roger Federer again in doubles at the Olympics, but they were eliminated in the second round.[23]
He made the semifinals of the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, before he was defeated by Federer, the eventual champion. Wawrinka again also played doubles with Jarkko Nieminen, and they were eliminated in the second round.
At the US Open, Wawrinka reached the fourth round, but was forced to retire in his match against second seed Novak Djokovic due to illness.
2013: BreakthroughWawrinka teamed with Frenchman Benoît Paire to win the doubles title at the Chennai Open against the German team of Andre Begemann and Martin Emmrich.
At the Australian Open, he made it to the fourth round. He lost a gruelling five-set thriller against Novak Djokovic which lasted just over five hours, finally losing in the 22nd game of the fifth set. "It definitely ranks right at the top", said Djokovic, after his victory over the Swiss. "One of the longest, most interesting, and most exciting matches I have played in my career."[24]
In the first round of the Davis Cup on 2 February 2013, he played the longest ATP doubles match in history. He and Marco Chiudinelli were defeated by Lukáš Rosol and Tomáš Berdych of the Czech Republic in 7 hours and 2 minutes, including a 46-game-long final set. The match was the second-longest ATP match ever (singles and doubles combined).
Wawrinka made it to the final of the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires, losing to David Ferrer in that final.
Wawrinka won the fourth title of his career at the Portugal Open, where he defeated the top seed and No. 4 David Ferrer. This was his first title since January 2011.
In the Madrid Masters, Wawrinka's run of success continued, with a three-set win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. The following day, he defeated Tomáš Berdych, also in three sets, to advance to his second Masters 1000 final against Rafael Nadal. With this victory, he also re-entered the Top 10 at No. 10, and stayed inside the Top 10 till 2018. He lost the final in straight sets.
He made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time after recovering from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet in the fourth round, but subsequently lost to defending and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
He started the grass-court season at the Topshelf Open in 's-Hertogenbosch and made it to the final, where he lost to grass-court specialist Nicolas Mahut. At Wimbledon, he lost in the first round to Lleyton Hewitt.
In the US Open, Wawrinka reached his first Grand Slam semifinal, losing to top seed Novak Djokovic, again in five tightly contested sets. Previously he had defeated No. 5 Tomáš Berdych in four sets in the fourth round and No. 3 and defending champion Andy Murray in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
After his Grand Slam breakthrough, Wawrinka continued to display solid form, reaching the semifinals in Kuala Lumpur, where he lost to Julien Benneteau, and quarterfinals of Masters 1000 tournaments in Shanghai and Paris, losing to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, respectively.
Wawrinka went to the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time in his career. He made an impact on the tournament, beating Tomáš Berdych and David Ferrer in round-robin matches. Although he lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets for the twelfth time in his career, both sets were finished in tight tiebreaks, and the Swiss actually won more points in the match. Wawrinka advanced in second place to the semifinals, where he met Novak Djokovic and lost to him for the fourth time that year.
2014: First Grand Slam, Masters & Davis Cup titles, world No. 3
Main article: 2014 Stan Wawrinka tennis season
Wawrinka began his ninth season on the ATP World Tour with a win at the Chennai Open in India, winning this tournament for the second time in his career, defeating Édouard Roger-Vasselin in the final in straight sets.
At the Australian Open, Wawrinka beat Andrey Golubev and Alejandro Falla in the first two rounds, then had a walkover when Vasek Pospisil pulled out of their third-round match, followed by a straight-set win over Tommy Robredo. Wawrinka's quarterfinal opponent was Novak Djokovic, and this time Wawrinka won in five sets, taking the deciding fifth set 9–7 after being a break down. The victory ended a 14-match losing streak against the three-time reigning champion. He then faced off against another first-time Australian Open semifinalist, Tomáš Berdych, winning the match in four tight sets (including three tiebreaks). In the ensuing final, he defeated No. 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets, thus denying Nadal's attempt for the distinction of being the only active men's tennis player to hold at least two titles at each of the four Grand Slam tournaments. The victory was his first win over Nadal in 13 attempts (having never won a set against him in their previous 12 meetings), and also made him the first man since Sergi Bruguera in 1993 to beat both of the top two seeds en route to a Grand Slam title.[25] (Bruguera defeated No. 1 Pete Sampras and No. 2 Jim Courier at the 1993 French Open). This was also only the second time since 2005 that a player outside of the 'Big Four' (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray) had won a Grand Slam title, and the first since Juan Martín del Potro won the US Open in 2009. In addition, Wawrinka became the first player to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic in a single Grand Slam tournament.[26] He is also the second Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title after Federer.
Due to his championship victory at the Australian Open, Wawrinka for the first time in his career reached the top five, becoming No. 3, and the top-ranked Swiss player in the world ahead of Federer for the first time.
Playing for Switzerland in the first round of the Davis Cup against Serbia, he defeated Dusan Lajovic in four sets in the second rubber. Switzerland went on to win the tie 3–2 (after an unassailable 3–0 lead) to reach their first Davis Cup quarterfinal since 2004.
After a one-month break, he next played at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells as the third seed. In his opening round (after receiving a first-round bye due to his seeding), he overcame Ivo Karlović in straight sets. In the third round, he defeated Andreas Seppi dropping only two games. In the fourth round, his 13-match winning streak from the start of the season came to an end against Kevin Anderson.
At the Miami Masters, he made it to the fourth round after defeating Daniel Gimeno-Traver and Édouard Roger-Vasselin, before losing to an in-form Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Wawrinka returned to Switzerland's Davis Cup team for their quarterfinal against Kazakhstan. Wawrinka was beaten in his first match by Andrey Golubev, then (after Federer had levelled the tie by beating Mikhail Kukushkin) he and Federer lost their doubles match to Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovesov. However, Wawrinka then came from a set down to beat Kukushkin and level the match again. Federer won the deciding rubber to send Switzerland to the semifinals, where they would play Italy.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka crushed Marin Čilić in the second round, losing only two games in the process. He then received a walkover in the third round to Nicolás Almagro. In the quarterfinal, Wawrinka defeated Milos Raonic in straight sets to secure his second semifinal appearance in the principality. Wawrinka defeated David Ferrer in the semifinals to become one of the few players to reach the finals of all 3 Masters tournament on clay. The stage was set for the first all-Swiss final in fourteen years, as he would take on his friend Roger Federer. In the first set, Federer secured an early break and prevented any chances of Wawrinka breaking and closed out the opener. However, Wawrinka fought back to take a close second set in a tiebreak, and after that, Wawrinka gained the momentum. He did not relinquish his advantage, winning his first Masters 1000 title on his third attempt. In doing so, Wawrinka took over the top spot in the 'Race to London'. Thus far, Wawrinka had defeated Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer that season, whom he had a 2–15, 0–12, and 1–13 record respectively, coming into the 2014 season. However, Wawrinka had less success in his next two tournaments, losing in the second round in Madrid to Dominic Thiem and the third round of Rome to Tommy Haas. Wawinka then suffered a first-round defeat to Guillermo García-López in the French Open.
Later that month, Wawrinka participated in the Aegon Championships, knocking out Marcos Baghdatis, Sam Querrey, and Marinko Matosevic without dropping a set, before losing to eventual champion Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals.
Wawrinka was seeded fifth for Wimbledon due to the tournament's seeding process being a combination of world ranking and recent grass court form, meaning Wawrinka (who had lost in the first round the previous two years) was seeded lower than No. 5 Andy Murray and No. 4 Roger Federer as they had won the title the previous two seasons. Wawrinka proceeded to have his best-ever run at the tournament, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time, dropping just one set in the process. He faced Federer in the first all-Swiss men's quarterfinal in Wimbledon history, losing in four close sets.
Wawrinka was seeded third for the US Open due to Nadal's withdrawal. He reached his fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal from the last seven tournaments, defeating Tommy Robredo in four sets in the fourth round, having survived set points in the third-set tiebreaker. He was eventually beaten by finalist Kei Nishikori in five sets
