Stan Wawrinka continued his legendary career at Roland Garros, but was unable to make it beyond the first round.
Wawrinka eyed a few Roland Garros wins, but it wasn’t to be for the ATP icon as he lost his opener to Jesper de Jong.
The Swiss superstar was given a fitting send-off after the 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 defeat in Paris, which represented his last-ever appearance at the Grand Slam.
Wawrinka will retire from tennis later this year, with the 41-year-old likely to bow out as a three-time Grand Slam champion.
His tally falls well short of various other legends, but Wawrinka is claimed to have a shot which no other player can replicate.
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Stan Wawrinka claimed to have a shot nobody can replicate
As quoted by TNT Sports, former world number one Mats Wilander said: “I think no one compares to Wawrinka’s backhand.
“No one was able to hit it as hard as he was able to hit it.
“He was able to hit it from low down and he was also able to play his backhand high up which someone like [Roger] Federer struggled with and Wawrinka didn’t struggle with that.
“So, to me, his backhand is easily the best one-handed backhand.
“I mean, you have to throw in the fact that someone like Federer could hit the slice much better than Wawrinka.
“So as a weakness, I don’t know if Federer’s backhand was more of a weakness than Wawrinka’s – it was probably on the same level.
“But in terms of the backhand that Wawrinka hit successfully, no one has had a backhand like that.”
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Mats Wilander agrees with Dominic Thiem’s verdict on Stan Wawrinka
Wawrinka will, of course, be remembered for more than a single shot, but his iconic backhand does deserve huge credit.
His efforts with one hand won’t be forgotten about in a hurry, and as Wilander suggests, may even triumph over those of 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer.
Fittingly, the duo and Dominic Thiem represent the only three men in the last 20 years to have clinched Grand Slam success adopting a one-handed backhand.
Notably, agreeing with Wilander, Thiem thinks Wawrinka has the best one-handed backhand ever, with Federer and Richard Gasquet also earning praise from the Austrian.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic is arguably the leader when it comes to the best two-handed backhand in tennis history.
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