Stan Wawrinka has won three Grand Slam titles, beating Rafael Nadal at the 2014 Australian Open, before getting the better of Novak Djokovic to take home the French Open title in 2015, and the US Open trophy in 2016.
Since then Stan Wawrinka has struggled with injuries and surgeries, which have halted him from building on his late career prime that saw him reach as high as third in the world rankings.
Wawrinka’s recent struggles can be highlighted by his failure to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam since 2020.
Wawrinka had briefly surged back into the world’s top 50 last year but has now fallen outside of the top 200.
Stan Wawrinka reveals thoughts on rivals’ retirements
In an interview with Tennissportalen TV ahead of this week’s Stockholm Open, Wawrinka was asked if the tour felt different following the retirements of Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and soon-to-be Rafael Nadal.
“No the tour is always the same,” said Wawrinka.
“Of course, most of my generation, most of them are retiring, but I enjoy what I am doing.
“It’s an individual sport, you are around your team,” he said.
With injuries and a period of disappointing results, many have speculated that Wawrinka could join the likes of Federer, Murray, and Nadal in retirement, but the 39-year-old seemed to put those rumors to rest.
“I’m enjoying the tournaments, I’m enjoying practicing, as long as I enjoy what I am doing, I am happy to be here,” he said.
Who were Wawrinka’s biggest rivals?
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic may have led the head-to-head against Wawrinka 21-6, but the Swiss got the better of the Serb in all three of his Grand Slam title runs.
One of Wawrinka’s last high-profile victories came against Djokovic at the 2019 US Open, when Djokovic retired down two sets to love.
Despite such a competitive rivalry the pair are said to have remained friends on the ATP Tour.
Rafael Nadal
Wawrinka didn’t have too much luck against Nadal during their rivalry, winning just three of their 20 matches.
He did, however, beat Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open Final, bringing home his first-ever Grand Slam trophy.
It took just three years for Nadal to exact revenge though, as the Spaniard dispatched Wawrinka in straight sets to win the 2017 French Open.
Andy Murray
Wawrinka’s most competitive rivalry with a member of the ‘Big Four’ came against Murray, with Wawrinka trailing 10-13 in wins.
Despite never meeting in a Grand Slam Final, the 39-year-old faired slightly better on the bigger stage, leading the rivalry 5-3 at the majors.
Roger Federer
Perhaps the most one-sided rivalry of the four, Wawrinka trails his compatriot 3-23 in match wins.
Wawrinka’s biggest win against Federer came in the 2014 Monte-Carlo final, where Wawrinka took home his first title at Masters 1000 level.
He may not have fared too well on the opposite side of the court to Federer, but the pair enjoyed great success as teammates. The pair won Olympic Gold at Beijing 2008 in doubles and took home the Davis Cup title in 2014.
After battling past Brandon Nakashima in the first round, Wawrinka will be back in action in Stockholm against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina later this week.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
