Though he was a giant in a golden generation of tennis, Stan Wawrinka was always in the shadow of his legendary compatriot, Roger Federer.
Wawrinka, who announced on Friday that the 2026 season will be his last, managed to win three Grand Slams in an era defined by the dominance of Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
The Swiss star clinched titles at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and the US Open, with just the Wimbledon championship denying him a Career Grand Slam.
He and Federer enjoyed success together, with the two claiming Olympic gold in doubles at the 2008 Games, as well as the Davis Cup trophy in 2014.
The duo had a great relationship, but it did appear as though a rift was beginning to emerge between them when the 20-time major winner made a comment about Wawrinka in 2012.
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Switzerland had just lost to the USA at the Davis Cup that year, conceding the tie in a 5-0 sweep.
Federer was defeated by John Isner, while Wawrinka fell to Mardy Fish in his singles match.
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As per Tennis Channel, Federer said of their performances: “I did play, actually, a pretty good match, things just didn’t go my way. They didn’t go for Stan either, but he didn’t have a good match, I agree with that.”
Explaining his words days after, he said: “I did have a day to sort of recover on Sunday and just sort of weather the press.
“It was taken completely the wrong way, me blaming Stan. I would never do that. It was just an unfortunate weekend.
“With many different circumstances leading to our defeat, first and foremost, I think the Americans played really well.
“I’ve had good conversations with the captain [Severin Luthi], with Stan himself on numerous occasions today and yesterday.
“Just making sure that there’s no misunderstandings between the two of us. It’s just the press that started to create something from nothing really.”
How Roger Federer viewed his gold medal win with Stan Wawrinka
Wawrinka and Federer put together an incredible campaign at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games to win gold.
They did not drop a set en route to the final and overcame the dominant Bryan Brothers of the USA, as well as Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden, to go all the way.
When asked to compare the feat to his other career accomplishments in his post-final press conference following the victory, Federer said: “It’s quite different. It’s quite unique.
“I mean, I guess since ’92, you know, when Marc Rosset won Olympic gold in tennis for Switzerland, it’s something I quite remember.
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“Who knows, maybe a little bit deep down in myself I was hoping to equal that one day or be part of the Olympic Games, seeing the great athletes being part of the Olympics was always something I looked forward to.
“Right now, this is quite a surreal moment. The joy of sharing this victory with somebody else who I like very much, who we had a great two weeks with, we’ve mentally been preparing for hopefully this moment, it’s quite different to anything I’ve ever gone through.
“I could only maybe compare it a little bit to some incredible Davis Cup victories I’ve ever had. Other than that, it doesn’t really compare a whole lot to Grand Slam victories.”
Federer never managed to win a gold medal in singles, but won silver in 2012 when he lost to Andy Murray in the final.
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