Stan Wawrinka looks likely to have played his final Australian Open, but he certainly boasts fond memories of the Grand Slam.
Wawrinka was handed an Australian Open wildcard, but the 39-year-old lost in the opening round to Lorenzo Sonego.
The Italian went on to reach the quarter-finals in Melbourne, having beaten three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 7-5.
Ben Shelton beat Sonego in their quarter-final, with Shelton then losing to eventual Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.
But Wawrinka certainly knows what it takes to win the event, having beaten Rafael Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final.
Stan Wawrinka names Rafael Nadal as his toughest opponent among Big Three and Andy Murray
The Swiss legend then beat Novak Djokovic in the 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open finals, before a 2017 French Open final loss to Nadal.
Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Wawrinka has been his toughest opponent between Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
READ MORE: What happened when Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka played doubles against Rafael Nadal
“They have all been so tough, but I think Rafa on clay at the French Open,” he said. “I played him in the final of 2017 and I was looking at the time making sure I could pass one hour for a final of a Grand Slam!
“It was high on the backhand non-stop, you feel like it is coming at you every single ball. You don’t see any options how to put any winner on the court.”
And when asked about the easiest, he noted: “The problem is how you are going to take my answer. I think I lost more than 20 times to Novak but that is the one I was feeling happy to play.
“I lost in the London final 6-0, 6-3. But I was enjoying playing him. He had such a nice ball and such a clean ball, you feel like even if he destroys you, you are kind of happy because you see the perfect player in front of you.”
Jannik Sinner joins Stan Wawrinka in winning his first three Grand Slam finals
Only Djokovic remains of the so-called Big Three, with Nadal’s retirement late last year following that of Federer in 2022.
Both Wawrinka and Murray enjoyed stunning careers in their prime, but would undoubtedly have many more Grand Slam titles to their names if not for the legendary trio.
The former did manage to win his first three Grand Slam finals before that loss to Nadal, who remains the undisputed King of Clay thanks to his 14 French Open titles.
ATP number one Sinner has now followed in the footsteps of the Swiss icon having just won his third successive Grand Slam final in Melbourne, with Carlos Alcaraz currently on four from four.
Like Wawrinka, Murray emerged victorious in three major finals, but remarkably lost his eight other Grand Slam finals.
Unsurprisingly, he was a constant victim of both Federer and Djokovic, losing three finals to the former and five to the latter.
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