Stan Wawrinka now reveals what he thought before playing Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

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Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer dominated tennis for almost 20 years.

The so-called ‘big three’ won a combined 66 Grand Slam titles, holding the ATP number one ranking for 947 total weeks.

Generations of tennis stars have tried and failed to take down Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer on the sport’s biggest stages.

There were a few names, however, who at their very best could keep up, including Andy Murray, who for some time was considered a member of the ‘big four’.

Murray retired from competition in 2024 as a three-time Major champion, matching the tally of another player who often produced his best tennis against the legendary trio.

Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka beat ‘big three’ members in all three of his Grand Slam triumphs, as he now reveals what he used to think before his matches against them.

Stan Wawrinka admits he knew even his best tennis might not be enough to beat the big three

Appearing on the Australian Open YouTube channel, Wawrinka reflected on his experiences playing Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.

“It’s been amazing for me to face the best players in the world, like Roger [Federer], Novak [Djokovic], Rafa [Nadal], Andy [Murray], also, always one of the toughest challenges,” he said.

“I lost more than 20 times to them, like a lot of players, but when you face those amazing players, you always try to look at yourself and try to see where you can improve.

“Especially those three guys, I knew that even on my best day, it’s not sure that you’re going to beat them because they are so good, they achieved so much during those 15-20 years.

“It was always the biggest challenge to play them.”

Wawrinka lost 63 matches to members of the big three throughout his career, winning just 12.

• Stan Wawrinka 6 – 21 Novak Djokovic
• Stan Wawrinka 3 – 19 Rafael Nadal
• Stan Wawrinka 3 – 23 Roger Federer

Looking back at his maiden Grand Slam victory, Wawrinka reflected on one of those memorable 12 wins.

Stan Wawrinka beat Rafael Nadal to win the 2014 Australian Open

The Swiss star enjoyed a sensational run to the final of the Australian Open 11 years ago, battling past Djokovic and Tomas Berdych in his quarterfinal and semi-final matches.

• 2014 Australian Open SF – Stan Wawrinka beat Tomas Berdych. 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6
• 2014 Australian Open QF- Stan Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7
• 2014 Australian Open 4R – Stan Wawrinka beat Tommy Robredo, 6-3, 7-6, 7-6
• 2014 Australian Open 3R – Stan Wawrinka advanced via walkover
• 2014 Australian Open 2R – Stan Wawrinka beat Alejandro Falla, 6-3, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4
• 2014 Australian Open 1R – Stan Wawrinka beat Andrey Golubev, 6-4, 4-1 (RET)

Wawrinka now reveals how he prepared for his maiden Major final during the two days before his clash with Nadal.

“For me, after winning against [Tomas] Berdych we had two days, the next day was the semi-final, Roger against Rafa,” he said.

“Remember, we watched them at the hotel, having dinner watching the match, it’s the best feeling as a player, you know you’re in the final, you’re watching who you’re going to play.

“I was feeling good, at the end of the day, in my mindset, I was good, I was playing well, I was physically feeling good, feeling strong.

“I wasn’t nervous about playing the final, because I never dreamed about winning a Slam, but I always fought my way each match to go to the next round, so being in the final was the biggest stage, it’s the last match.”

He was right not to feel nervous, as he produced a brilliant performance to clinch his first Grand Slam title with a four-set win over Nadal.

Wawrinka’s coach, Magnus Norman, explains why he was surprised by just how well his pupil performed in the final.

“One of the things that surprised me, because I played myself, one time in a final, I could not handle the pressure, everything got a little bit too big for me,” he said.

“During one hour, one and a half hour in the final, in the beginning, I was not there, I was somewhere else.

• 2000 French Open final – Magnus Norman lost to Gustavo Kuerten, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-7

“But Stan [Wawrinka], he could handle that pressure so much better than me and he was for many years and still is, a big champion.

“Amazing record in the big matches, for me, one of the all-time big players in big matches. He can beat the number one in a Grand Slam final, not many can.”

Wawrinka competed in four Major finals during his career, winning on three occasions.

The three-time Grand Slam winner still competes today and continues to achieve success, despite being one of the older players on tour, aged 40.

Wawrinka reached the final of a Challenger Tour event recently, narrowly coming up short against Borna Coric in a third-set tiebreaker.

The world number 132 is scheduled to return to action at the French Open, which begins on Sunday, May 25.