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Stan Wawrinka

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Stan Wawrinka
Wawrinka at the 2015 Aegon Championships
Full nameStanislas Wawrinka
Country (sports)  Switzerland
ResidenceSaint-Barthélemy, Switzerland
Born (1985-03-28) 28 March 1985 (age 39)
Lausanne, Switzerland
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Turned pro2002
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
CoachDimitri Zavialoff (2002–2010)
Peter Lundgren (2010–2012)
Magnus Norman (2013–)
Richard Krajicek (2016–)
Prize moneyUS$ 26,465, 264
Singles
Career record424–244
Career titles15
Highest rankingNo. 3 (27 January 2014)
Current rankingNo. 3 (22 August 2016)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2014)
French OpenW (2015)
WimbledonQF (2014, 2015)
US OpenW (2016)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (2013, 2014, 2015)
Olympic Games2R (2008)
Doubles
Career record71–85
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 88 (2 February 2015)
Current rankingNo. 257 (1 August 2016)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open3R (2006)
French Open3R (2006)
Wimbledon1R (2006, 2007)
US Open1R (2005)
Team competitions
Davis CupW (2014)
Olympic medal record
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Doubles
Last updated on: 1 August 2016.

Stanislas "Stan" Wawrinka[1] (French: [vavʁiŋka]; born 28 March 1985) is a Swiss professional tennis player.

He has reached three Grand Slam singles finals in his career, winning all three: the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open. Wawrinka has reached a world ranking of no. 3, obtained on 27 February 2014 and held for several months. At the Masters level he has played in three finals, winning one (the 2014 Monte-Carlo Masters). In doubles and team tennis for Switzerland, he has won a gold medal in the men's doubles event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, partnering with Roger Federer, and the Davis Cup in 2014. He played in the longest doubles match in history at the 2013 Davis Cup, in a tie against the Czech Republic, partnering with Marco Chiudinelli.[2]

Wawrinka considers clay his best surface and his serve and backhand his best shots. John McEnroe once said that Wawrinka has one of the most powerful backhands ever, and in 2009 described him as having "the best one-handed backhand in the game".[3]

Just prior to the 2014 French Open, he requested and the ATP granted a formal change in his name from "Stanislas Wawrinka" to "Stan Wawrinka." He stated that he plans to use the abbreviated name in tournament draws and press conferences.[4]

Early life

Wawrinka was born in Switzerland to a German father and Swiss mother.[5] He holds dual Swiss-German citizenship.[6][7] His father Wolfram Wawrinka, a farmer and social worker, married Isabelle, an educator, and took over the running of his parents' farm, "Ferme du Château", near Lausanne, which is connected with the castle of Saint-Barthélemy.

The farm assists people with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, and people with depression or drug and alcohol problems. Here Stanislas grew up with his elder brother, Jonathan, and his two younger sisters, Djanaée and Naélla. Stanislas attended the Rudolf Steiner School in Crissier.[8]

Tennis career

Wawrinka stopped attending regular schooling at age 15 to focus full-time on tennis. However, he continued his schooling by distance education with the French organization CNED, which offered him greater flexibility.[9][10]

Juniors

Wawrinka started playing international junior events at age 14 and entered the satellite circuit the following year. He compiled an outstanding junior career, winning the 2003 French Open Junior championships and reaching as high as no. 7 in the junior world rankings in June 2003.[11]

2003–2007: Junior French Open title and first ATP title

Wawrinka turned professional in 2002 at the age of 17. By the end of 2005, he hovered just inside the top 50. He has a 2–3 career Davis Cup singles record in three ties. He was coached from age eight until June 2010 by Dimitri Zavialoff.[12] In July 2006, Stanislas Wawrinka won his first ATP title, at the Croatia Open Umag, when his opponent in the final, Novak Djokovic, retired through fatigue.[13]

In October 2006, Wawrinka reached a then career-high ranking of world no. 29.[14]

In the 2007 Australian Open, Wawrinka reached the third round to be beaten by second seed Rafael Nadal, losing in Melbourne in straight sets. He showed some impressive backhand skills, but was unable to deal with Nadal's heavy game.

He suffered a three-month setback, tearing a tendon in his right knee while practicing for the Swiss Davis Cup team's tie against Spain in February.

In the 2007 French Open Wawrinka pushed seventh seed Ivan Ljubičić to four sets in the second round. He also claimed wins over Guillermo Cañas and Juan Ignacio Chela en route to a meeting with Rafael Nadal in the final of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart in July. Nadal defeated Wawrinka in straight sets.

In the 2007 US Open, Wawrinka reached the fourth round, a stage he had never reached previously in a Grand Slam event, notably defeating 25th seed Marat Safin in straight sets in the second round. In the fourth round, he was ousted by Juan Ignacio Chela in five sets.

2008: Olympic Gold and the top 10

Wawrinka at the 2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open

By reaching the final of the 2008 Masters Series event in Rome, Wawrinka entered the top 10 for the first time. He lost in the final to Novak Djokovic, despite taking the opening set.

In the 2008 Olympics, Wawrinka teamed with Roger Federer in men's doubles. They beat the favoured Americans Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals in straight sets; then in the final, defeated Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden in four sets to win the gold medal.

Wawrinka reached the fourth round of the 2008 US Open, where British player Andy Murray defeated him in straight sets.

2009

Wawrinka lost to Rafael Nadal in the fourth round at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne. Nadal came from behind in both sets to beat Wawrinka in two tie-breaks. The match lasted for 2 hours and 42 minutes.

At the 2009 Monte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka defeated world No. 2 Roger Federer in straight sets, an upset which halted the chance of a fourth straight Nadal-Federer final in Monte Carlo.

At the 2009 French Open Wawrinka defeated Nicolas Devilder in five sets and Nicolás Massú in straight sets. He lost to Nikolay Davydenko in the third round in four sets.

At Wimbledon, in the third round he defeated 21-year-old Jesse Levine, who had upset Marat Safin in the first round.[15] The Sunday Times reviewed Wawrinka's performance in the match by opining that he "is a strange player, clearly talented but short of match fitness and as clumsy on court as Federer is graceful."[16] Wawrinka was defeated by Andy Murray in five sets in the fourth round. The match was also a debut usage of the new roof on Centre Court and was the latest match at Wimbledon, lasting until 22:37 GMT.[17][18]

Wawrinka played in the Davis Cup tie with Italy and won in his first match against Andreas Seppi in straight sets.[19]

2010: Second career title

Wawrinka started his 2010 season by reaching the final of the Chennai Open, losing to Marin Čilić in two tie-breaks. This was Wawrinka's fifth consecutive loss in an ATP final. He reached the third round at the 2010 Australian Open, losing to Čilić again. Wawrinka returned to the ATP Tour at the Sony Ericsson Open after his wife gave birth to their daughter. He defeated Kevin Anderson, before losing to Mikhail Youzhny in the third round. He started his clay-court season in Casablanca at the 2010 Grand Prix Hassan II. After receiving a first-round bye, he defeated Slovakian qualifier Martin Kližan in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he easily defeated wildcard Reda El Amrani in straight sets. In the semifinals, he defeated Italian Potito Starace in three sets to advance to his second ATP final of 2010. In the final, he defeated Romanian Victor Hănescu in straight sets to win his second ATP Tournament. With this tournament win, he snapped a five-match losing streak in ATP finals and a 3 1/2-year title drought. It was also the first professional singles final Wawrinka won, as his previous ATP victory occurred due to an injury retirement.

Wawrinka became the 13th seed at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters and defeated Victor Hănescu in the first round in a rematch of the Casablanca final. He then beat Latvian Ernests Gulbis to advance to the third round. He was defeated by Novak Djokovic. Wawrinka reached the quarterfinals in Rome, losing to Rafael Nadal, and the semifinals in Belgrade, losing to John Isner. At the French Open, where he was the 20th seed, he reached the fourth round without dropping a set, defeating Jan Hájek in the first round. In the second round, he defeated German Andreas Beck, and in the third round, he beat Italian Fabio Fognini, before losing to Roger Federer in the fourth round.

After an unsuccessful grass season, where he lost in the first round of Wimbledon, Wawrinka separated from his coach since childhood and hired Peter Lundgren (former coach of Marat Safin and Federer). The partnership with Lundgren showed its benefits in the US Open, where Wawrinka reached the quarterfinals, beating fourth seed Andy Murray along the way.

Wawrinka serves during his upset win versus Andy Murray at the 2010 US Open.
Wawrinka serves during his upset win versus Andy Murray at the 2010 US Open

2011: Third career title

Wawrinka started off 2011 in impressive fashion, defeating world no. 6 Tomáš Berdych along the way to claiming the Chennai Open crown. Wawrinka beat Xavier Malisse in the final in three sets. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2011 Australian Open, after defeating Andy Roddick in three sets to set up an all-Swiss quarterfinal with Roger Federer, which he lost in straight sets. He also came back from two sets and a break down to defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round of the French Open, before being defeated by Federer once more. Wawrinka was defeated by Simone Bolelli in the second round of Wimbledon and Donald Young at the same stage of the US Open.[20]

In September 2011, Wawrinka announced that he had parted ways with Lundgren. He played the rest of the season without a coach.[21]

At the 2011 Swiss Indoors tournament, Wawrinka made it to the semifinals, after defeating Florian Mayer in the quarterfinals. In an all-Swiss semifinal, he was defeated by Roger Federer in straight sets.

2012

Wawrinka started the season in Chennai, where he made the quarterfinals, before being defeated by Go Soeda.

At the 2012 Australian Open, he made it to the third round, defeating Benoît Paire and Marcos Baghdatis, before being eliminated by Nicolás Almagro.

In his Davis Cup tie against Mardy Fish in February, he lost in five sets. Later in February, he traveled to Buenos Aires and Acapulco, where he made to the semifinals, before losing again to Almagro and Fernando Verdasco, respectively.

In Monte Carlo, he defeated three Spaniards, Feliciano López, Pablo Andújar, and Almagro, making it to the quarterfinals before succumbing to world no. 2 at the time, Rafael Nadal, the eventual champion. In doubles, he teamed with Victor Troicki, and they made it to the quarterfinals.

In Estoril, he made it to the semifinals, but was defeated by Juan Martín del Potro.

Wawrinka made the fourth round of the French Open after defeating Flavio Cipolla, Andújar, and Gilles Simon. He was defeated by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round, once again coming from two sets down to take the match into a fifth set and recovering a 4–1 deficit in the decider before Tsonga finally prevailed. [22]

Wawrinka then had a series of first-round exits at Wimbledon, Gstaad, and in the Summer Olympics, where he lost to the eventual gold medallist Andy Murray. He was the flag bearer of Switzerland during the 2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations.[23] He teamed with Roger Federer again in doubles at the Olympics, but they were eliminated in the second round.[24]

He made the semifinals of the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, before he was defeated by Federer, the eventual champion. Wawrinka again also played doubles with Jarkko Nieminen, and they were eliminated in the second round.

At the US Open, Wawrinka reached the fourth round, but was forced to retire in his match against second seed Novak Djokovic due to illness.

2013: Return to top 10 & breakthrough season

Wawrinka at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.

Wawrinka teamed with Frenchman Benoît Paire to win the doubles title at the Chennai Open against the German team of Andre Begemann and Martin Emmrich.

At the 2013 Australian Open, he made it to the fourth round. He lost a gruelling five-set thriller against Novak Djokovic which lasted just over five hours, finally losing in the 22nd game of the fifth set. "It definitely ranks right at the top", said Djokovic, after his victory over the Swiss. "One of the longest, most interesting, and most exciting matches I have played in my career."[25]

In the first round of the 2013 Davis Cup on 2 February 2013, he played the longest ATP doubles match in history. He and Marco Chiudinelli were defeated by Lukáš Rosol and Tomáš Berdych of the Czech Republic in 7 hours and 2 minutes, including a 46-game-long final set. The match was the second-longest ATP match ever (singles and doubles combined).

Wawrinka made it to the final of the 2013 Copa Claro in Buenos Aires, losing to David Ferrer in that final.

Wawrinka about to serve at the 2013 US Open.

Wawrinka won the fourth title of his career at the Portugal Open, where he defeated the top seed and world no. 4 David Ferrer. This was his first title since January 2011.

In Madrid, Wawrinka's run of success continued, with a three-set win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. The following day, he defeated Tomáš Berdych, also in three sets, to advance to his second Masters 1000 final against Rafael Nadal. With this victory, he also re-entered the top 10 at no. 10. He lost the final in straight sets.

He made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time after recovering from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet in the fourth round, but subsequently lost to defending and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

He started the grass-court season at the Topshelf Open in 's-Hertogenbosch and made it to the final, where he lost to Nicolas Mahut. At Wimbledon, he lost in the first round to Lleyton Hewitt.

In the 2013 US Open, Wawrinka reached his first Grand Slam semifinal, losing to top seed Novak Djokovic, again in five tightly contested sets. Previously he had defeated world no. 5 Tomáš Berdych in four sets in the fourth round and world no. 3 and defending champion Andy Murray in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

After his Grand Slam breakthrough, Wawrinka continued to display solid form, reaching the semifinals in Kuala Lumpur, where he lost to Julien Benneteau, and quarterfinals of Masters 1000 tournaments in Shanghai and Paris, losing to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, respectively.

Wawrinka went to the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time in his career. He made an impact on the tournament, beating Tomáš Berdych and David Ferrer in round-robin matches. Although he lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets for the twelfth time in his career, both sets were finished in tight tiebreaks, and the Swiss actually won more points in the match. Wawrinka advanced in second place to the semifinals, where he met Novak Djokovic and lost to him for the fourth time that year.

2014: Maiden Grand Slam title, Masters 1000, Davis Cup titles and career-high ranking

Main article: 2014 Stan Wawrinka tennis season

Wawrinka began his ninth season on the ATP World Tour with a win at the Chennai Open in India, winning this tournament for the second time in his career, defeating Édouard Roger-Vasselin in the final in straight sets.

At the 2014 Australian Open, Wawrinka beat Andrey Golubev and Alejandro Falla in the first two rounds, then had a walkover when Vasek Pospisil pulled out of their third-round match, followed by a three set win over Tommy Robredo. Wawrinka's quarterfinal opponent was Novak Djokovic, and this time Wawrinka won in five sets, taking the deciding fifth set 9–7 after being a break down. The victory ended a 14-match losing streak against the three-time reigning champion. He then faced off against another first-time Australian Open semifinalist, Tomáš Berdych, winning the match in four tight sets (including three tiebreaks). In the ensuing final, he defeated world no. 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets, thus denying Nadal the distinction of being the only active men's tennis player to hold at least two titles at each of the four Grand Slam tournaments. The victory was his first win over Nadal in 13 attempts (having never won a set against him in their previous 12 meetings), and also made him the first man since Sergi Bruguera in 1993 to beat both of the top two seeds en route to a Grand Slam title.[26] (Bruguera defeated no. 1 Pete Sampras and no. 2 Jim Courier at the 1993 French Open.) This was also only the second time since 2005 that a player outside of the 'Big Four' (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray) had won a Grand Slam title, and the first since Juan Martín del Potro won the US Open in 2009. In addition, Wawrinka became the first player to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic in a single Grand Slam tournament.[27] He is also the second Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title after Federer.

Due to his championship victory at the 2014 Australian Open, Wawrinka for the first time in his career cracked into the top 5, becoming world no. 3, and the top-ranked Swiss player in the world ahead of Federer for the first time.

Playing for Switzerland in the first round of the 2014 Davis Cup against Serbia, he defeated Dusan Lajovic in four sets in the second rubber. Switzerland went on to win the tie 3–2 (after an unassailable 3–0 lead) to reach their first Davis Cup quarterfinal since 2004.

After a one-month break, he next played at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells as the third seed. In his opening round (after receiving a first-round bye due to his seeding), he overcame Ivo Karlović in straight sets. In the third round, he defeated Andreas Seppi dropping only two games. In the fourth round, his 13-match winning streak from the start of the season came to an end against Kevin Anderson.

At the Sony Open in Miami, he made it to the fourth round after defeating Daniel Gimeno-Traver and Édouard Roger-Vasselin, before losing to an in-form Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Wawrinka returned to Switzerland's Davis Cup team for their quarterfinal against Kazakhstan. Wawrinka was beaten in his first match by Andrey Golubev, then (after Federer had levelled the tie by beating Mikhail Kukushkin) he and Federer lost their doubles match to Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovesov. However, Wawrinka then came from a set down to beat Kukushkin and level the match again. Federer won the deciding rubber to send Switzerland to the semifinals, where they would play Italy.

At the Monte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka crushed Marin Čilić in the second round, losing only two games in the process. He then received a walkover in the third round to Nicolás Almagro. In the quarterfinal, Wawrinka defeated Milos Raonic in straight sets to secure his second semifinal appearance in the principality. Wawrinka defeated David Ferrer in the semifinals to make his third Masters 1000 final (all on clay). The stage was set for the first all-Swiss final in fourteen years, as he would take on his friend Roger Federer. In the first set, Federer secured an early break and prevented any chances of Wawrinka breaking and closed out the opener. However, Wawrinka fought back to take a close second set in a tiebreak, and after that, all momentum had switched to Wawrinka. He did not relinquish his advantage, winning his first Masters 1000 title on his third attempt. In doing so, Wawrinka took over the top spot in the 'Race to London'. Thus far, Wawrinka had defeated Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer that season, whom he had a 2-15, 0-12, and 1-13 record respectively, coming into the 2014 season. However, Wawrinka had less success in his next two tournaments, losing in the second round in Madrid to Dominic Thiem and the third round of Rome to Tommy Haas. Wawinka then suffered a first-round defeat to Guillermo García-López in the 2014 French Open.

Later that month, Wawrinka participated in the Aegon Championships, knocking out Marcos Baghdatis, Sam Querrey, and Marinko Matosevic without dropping a set, before losing to eventual champion Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals.

Wawrinka was seeded fifth for Wimbledon due to the tournament's seeding process being a combination of world ranking and recent grass court form, meaning Wawrinka (who had lost in the first round the previous two years) was seeded lower than world no. 5 Andy Murray and world no. 4 Roger Federer as they had won the title the previous two seasons. Wawrinka proceeded to have his best-ever run at the tournament, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time, dropping just one set in the process. He faced Federer in the first all-Swiss men's quarterfinal in Wimbledon history, losing in four close sets.

Wawrinka was seeded third for the US Open due to Nadal's withdrawal. He reached his fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal from the last seven tournaments, defeating Tommy Robredo in four sets in the fourth round, having survived set points in the third-set tiebreaker. He was eventually beaten by finalist Kei Nishikori in five sets.

Wawrinka at the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals

Wawrinka lost in early-round matches at three consecutive tournaments in October 2014. At the 2014 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, he was seeded first, but was defeated in the first round in straight sets by Tatsuma Ito of Japan, then ranked no. 103 on the ATP tour. The following week at the 2014 Shanghai Rolex Masters tournament, he was seeded fourth, but was defeated in three sets by unseeded Gilles Simon in the second round, after having had a bye in the first round. He was up a break in the third set against Simon, but won only one of the final five games. At the time, Wawrinka was ranked no. 4 and Simon no. 29 on the ATP Tour. In Basel, he was beaten in the first round by Mikhail Kukushkin in three sets. At the Paris Masters 1000, Wawrinka recorded his first win since the US Open against Dominic Thiem. However, he fell in three tight sets to Kevin Anderson in the next round.

Wawrinka had a good run in the ATP World Tour Finals, where he beat Tomáš Berdych and Marin Čilić. He lost to Djokovic in the next round-robin match, but progressed to the semifinals. In the semifinals, he faced world no. 2 Roger Federer, and after 2 hours he had four match points but failed to convert any of them and lost in three sets. After the match, reports emerged that Federer and Wawrinka had a heated discussion lasting for 10 minutes in the gym at the O2, after officials reportedly told them to resolve their differences after a flare-up in the tunnel. The spat was reportedly caused by Mirka Federer's calling Wawrinka a crybaby.[28][29][30]

The pair appeared as friends though when they met for the Davis Cup final.[31] In the final against France, Wawrinka gave his country the perfect start by defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets.[32] Wawrinka then teamed up with Federer to win the doubles rubber and give Switzerland a 2–1 lead going into the final day. The match ended a sequence of four doubles rubbers losses for the pair, and it was their first win together on clay. Wawrinka did not play on the final day, as Federer sealed the tie, by beating Gasquet in straight sets for Switzerland's first Davis Cup title. With the win, Wawrinka became the first player since Andre Agassi in 1992 to win his first Grand Slam title and first Davis Cup in the same season.

2015: Four titles, Second Grand Slam title

Main article: 2015 Stan Wawrinka tennis season

In January 2015, Wawrinka was crowned champion of the Chennai Open for the third time running, winning against Slovenian player, Aljaž Bedene in the final, after a win against world no. 22, David Goffin. At the Australian Open he reached the semifinals again by beating Kei Nishikori in straight sets. In his semifinal, Wawrinka lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets, bringing to an end his Australian Open title defence. As a result of failing to defend his title, Wawrinka dropped from fourth in the world rankings pre-tournament to ninth post-tournament.[33] On February 15, 2015, he prevailed over Tomáš Berdych in three sets to win the title at the 2015 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. He next competed at the 2015 Open 13 in Marseille, where he reached the quarterfinals, losing to Sergiy Stakhovsky. He then competed at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he lost to Robin Haase in his opening match, after receiving a first-round bye. He next played the 2015 Miami Open in Miami, losing to Adrian Mannarino in straight sets in the third round. As defending champion at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka lost to Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. He later lost in the third round at the Mutua Madrid Open, again to Dimitrov. In the Rome Masters, Wawrinka reached the semifinals before being defeated by Federer in straight sets.

Wawrinka next competed in the 2015 French Open, as the eighth seed. He beat Marsel İlhan and Dusan Lajovic in three and four sets, respectively, before beating Steve Johnson and Gilles Simon in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, and defeated compatriot Roger Federer in straight sets to reach his first Roland Garros semifinal. This was also Wawrinka's first win over Federer in a major tournament. Winning in four sets against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals, he earned his second appearance in a Grand Slam final, this time against top seed Novak Djokovic. He defeated Djokovic in four sets, after being down a break in the fourth set and 0–40 in a subsequent game.[34] He broke Djokovic's service twice in the set, reeling off six of the final seven games of the match. With this victory, Wawrinka claimed his second Grand Slam tournament title, and Djokovic failed to win a personal career Grand Slam.[35] Mirroring his victory at the 2014 Australian Open, Wawrinka was seeded eighth at this tournament, defeated the top two seeds in the quarterfinals and finals, respectively, clinched the championship match in four sets, and rose five positions in the ATP rankings, back to the no. 4 position, which was his original position at the beginning of the year.[36][37] Wawrinka is the first man to win Roland Garros after losing in the first round in the previous year since Albert Costa in 2002, and the first former boys' champion to win the men's title since Mats Wilander in 1982.[38]

Wawrinka exited from Queen's Club as the Swiss bowed out of the 2015 Aegon Championships in the second round, against eventual runner-up Kevin Anderson.[39] He reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, the furthest he had ever reached, but was ousted by Richard Gasquet in a five-set thriller, despite being up two sets to one.[40]

Wawrinka continued his dominant Grand Slam form at the US Open, with wins over Albert Ramos, Chung Hyeon, Ruben Bemelmans, Donald Young. He then beat South African Kevin Anderson in straight sets in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals, where he was dispatched in straight sets by Roger Federer. Wawrinka then helped Switzerland advance to the Davis Cup World Group with a five-set win over Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker in Geneva.[41] He then competed in the 2015 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, entering as the first seed. Wawrinka avenged his loss to Tatsuma Ito at the same tournament the previous year by defeating him in the second round. He eventually advanced to the finals, where he beat Benoît Paire in straight sets and won his fourth title of the season. Wawrinka then entered the 2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters, where he defeated former US Open champion Marin Čilić in a three-set battle before losing in straight sets to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. Playing in the 2015 Paris Masters, Wawrinka avenged his previous loss to Rafael Nadal in Shanghai with a 7–6(8), 7–6(7) win. In the semifinals, Wawrinka lost to Novak Djokovic in a three set match. He then matched his performance at the ATP World Tour Finals the previous year by reaching the semifinals in London with round-robin wins over Andy Murray and David Ferrer. In the semifinals, Wawrinka played Roger Federer for the fifth time in the 2015 season, losing in straight sets 5–7, 3–6.

2016: Four titles, US Open victory, 400th victory and return to top 3

Main article: 2016 Stan Wawrinka tennis season

Wawrinka started his season at the 2016 Aircel Chennai Open where he was the two time defending champion and 1st seed. He started against young wildcard Andrey Rublev. He won in straight sets. Then he played 5th seed Guillermo García-López. He also won in straight sets. In the semifinal he played against 3rd seed and good friend Benoît Paire. He won another straight sets match. In the final he played 8th seed and young talent Borna Ćorić. He successfully defended his title without dropping a set the entire tournament defeating him.

He then played in the 2016 Australian Open where he was the 4th seed. He started against Dmitry Tursunov who was here on a protected ranking. Stan won the first two sets before Tursunov had to retire due to injury. He then played qualifier Radek Stepanek. He won in straight sets. He then proceeded to the third round where he played Lukáš Rosol. He also won in straight sets. Then in the fourth round he played big serving Canadian and 13th seed Milos Raonic. Despite pushing it to a fifth set he lost.

Stan then played in the 2016 Open 13 as the 1st seed. He started against Sergiy Stakhovsky who had defeated him here last year. He won being match points down 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(10–8). He then proceeded to the quarterfinals. He had a disappointing loss to good friend Benoît Paire 4–6, 6–1, 5–7.

Wawrinka then played in the 2016 Dubai Tennis Championships as the 2nd seed. He started against Sergiy Stakhovsky. He defeated him after being two points from defeat 5–7, 6–3, 7–5. He then played qualifier Franko Škugor 7–5, 6–1. He then proceeded to the quarterfinals. He played 8th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber and defeated him in straight sets 7–5, 6–1. In the semifinals he played Nick Kyrgios. He defeated him after he had to retire due to injury 6–4, 3–0. In the final he played surprise finalist Marcos Baghdatis. He won in straight sets after a really close second set to earn his 2nd title of the year 6–4, 7–6(15–13).

He then played in the first masters 1000 of the year at the 2016 Indian Wells Masters as the 3rd seed. He started against Illya Marchenko. He easily won 6–3, 6–2. He then played Andrey Kuznetsov. He won a close straight sets match 6–4, 7–6(7–5). He then played 15th seed David Goffin. He lost 3–6, 7–5, 6–7(5–7).

He then competed at the 2016 Miami Open as the 4th seed. He first played Andrey Kuznetsov. He had a disappointing loss after beating him a week earlier 4–6, 3–6.

He then competed at the 2016 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters as the 4th seed. He started against Philipp Kohlschreiber. He won in a close straight sets match 7–6(7–2), 7–5. He then played 15th seed Gilles Simon. He crushed him 6–1, 6–2. He then played 5th seed Rafael Nadal. He lost 1–6, 4–6. Nadal also went on to win the tournament.

He then competed at the 2016 Mutua Madrid Open as the 4th seed. He had a disappointing loss to Nick Kyrgios 6–7(7–9), 6–7(2–7).

He then competed at the 2016 Rome Masters as the 4th seed. he started against good friend Benoît Paire. He won after losing the first set 5–7, 6–2, 6–1. He then played Juan Mónaco who was here with a protected ranking. He lost despite being a set and a break up 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 4–6.

He then competed at the 2016 Geneva Open as the 1st seed. He started against Albert Ramos-Viñolas. He crushed him 6–1, 6–1. He then played Pablo Carreño Busta. He won easily 6–3, 6–1. In the semifinals he played Lukáš Rosol. He won 6–2, 4–6, 6–3. In the final he played Marin Cilic. He won his 3rd title of the year with a close straight sets win 6–4, 7–6(13–11).

His next tournament was the second major of the year the 2016 French Open as the 3rd seed and the defending champion. He started against Lukáš Rosol. He won in a tough five setter after being down 2 sets to 1 4–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4. He then played Taro Daniel. He won in straight sets 7–6(9–7), 6–3, 6–4. He then played local favorite Jérémy Chardy. He won 6–4, 6–3, 7–5. Then in the fourth round he played Viktor Troicki. He lost the 2nd set but still came through 7–6(7–5), 6–7(7–9), 6–3, 6–2. Then he played surprise quarterfinalist Albert Ramos-Viñolas. He won 6–2, 6–1, 7–6(9–7). In the semifinals he played 2nd seed Andy Murray. He lost in four 4–6, 2–6, 6–4, 2–6.

He then played at Queens in the AEGON Championships as the second seed. However he suffered a straight sets defeat to world no. 53 Fernando Verdasco in the first round. His next tournament was at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, as the 4th seed. In the first round he faced Taylor Fritz and won in four sets. However, he was beaten in the second round by Juan Martin del Potro in four sets.

After missing the Olympics due to a back injury, Wawrinka played at the Cincinnati Masters. However, he would lose to Grigor Dimitrov 6–4, 6–4 in the third round.

Prior to the start of the U.S. Open, Wawrinka returned to the top 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings due to Roger Federer being unable to defend his title in Cincinnati. In the first round he faced Fernando Verdasco, beating the Spaniard 7–6(7–4), 6–4, 6–4. He then faced qualifier Alessandro Giannessi, winning in three sets. He then played a four hour match in the third round against British player Daniel Evans, which saw Wawrinka save a match point in the fourth set, before beating Evans in five sets. He then defeated Illya Marchenko in four sets in the fourth round. In his fourth consecutive quarterfinal appearance at the U.S. Open, he defeated Juan Martin del Potro in four sets. He defeated Kei Nishikori in the semifinals in 4 sets and went on to defeat Novak Djokovic 6–7(1–7), 6–4, 7–5, 6–3, to win the 2016 U.S. Open, his third major title in three years. He is now 2-0 in major finals against Djokovic, and 3-0 in overall major finals.

Playing style

Possessing one of the best one-handed backhands on tour, Wawrinka is characterised as a powerful offensive baseliner capable of playing well on most surfaces, especially on clay and hard courts.[42] He is known for his fast serve which has reached as high as 232 kilometres per hour (144 mph/h). His forehand, considered a weakness early in his career, has improved significantly and is a now a big weapon in his game. While he is primarily known as a baseliner, Wawrinka has occasionally backed up his game with approaches to the net, and is capable of using the serve and volley tactic.[43]

In 2013, he began working with new coach Magnus Norman. This partnership has been credited with improvement in Wawrinka's performance in important matches and was evident in his victories over Andy Murray at the 2013 US Open, and Novak Djokovic at the 2014 Australian Open (both were defending champions), as well as his improved consistency. Wawrinka's mental game has also been seen to improve over time, culminating in his win over No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal at the 2014 Australian Open in which Wawrinka survived a fightback from Nadal to clinch the title. He also survived a fightback from No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic at the 2015 French Open final, being down one break of serve in the fourth set, before breaking Djokovic's service twice to clinch the title.

Career rivalries

Djokovic vs. Wawrinka

Main article: Djokovic–Wawrinka rivalry

In this matchup Djokovic leads 19–5, however the two have contested numerous close matches and therefore it is considered a highly competitive rivalry since 2013, including four five-setters at Grand Slam level.[citation needed] Wawrinka defeated Djokovic at all three Grand Slam tournaments which he won, including two finals matches. Wawrinka and Djokovic played three consecutive Australian Open years (2013–2015), each match going to five sets, and a five-setter in the US Open: in the 2013 Australian Open fourth round, which Djokovic won 12–10 in a fifth set; at the 2013 US Open semifinals, which Djokovic won 6–4 in a fifth set; and at the 2014 Australian Open quarterfinals, which Wawrinka won 9–7 in a fifth set. Wawrinka's win in 2014 broke Djokovic's impressive run of 14 consecutive semifinals in Grand Slam play, ended a 28-match winning streak, and prevented Djokovic from capturing a record fifth Australian Open crown.[citation needed] Djokovic got revenge in the 2015 Australian Open, winning 6–0 in the fifth set, but again it went the distance.[citation needed] At the 2015 French Open final, Wawrinka defeated Djokovic in four sets to claim his second grand slam title and is the only player apart from Roger Federer to defeat Djokovic in the Australian Open and French Open. Most recently, Wawrinka defeated Djokovic in 4 sets to win the 2016 US Open singles title. Contrary to most high-profile rivalries, they have played doubles together, and maintain a close friendship.

Personal life

Wawrinka's father Wolfram is a German of Czech ancestry, although his surname is actually of Polish origin. Wawrinka's paternal great-grandfather originated from the border region between Poland and the former Czechoslovakia. Wawrinka's mother, Isabelle, is Swiss. His mother works as a biodynamic farmer helping disabled people. He has one older brother, Jonathan, who teaches tennis, and two younger sisters, Djanaée and Naëlla, who are students and tennis players.[44] Wawrinka holds both Swiss and German citizenship.[citation needed].

As of 2009, Wawrinka lived in Saint-Barthélemy, about 20 km (12 mi) north of Lausanne, with his wife Ilham Vuilloud, a Swiss television presenter and former fashion model.[44] They married on 15 December 2009. Vuilloud gave birth to the couple's first child, a girl named Alexia, on 12 February 2010. On 4 January 2011, Swiss media reported that, according to Vuilloud, Wawrinka separated from the family to dedicate himself to tennis, having only five more years to make an impact.[45][46] The couple later reconciled,[47] but on 19 April 2015 Wawrinka posted a statement on his Facebook page announcing their divorce.[48][49] Wawrinka is currently dating the Croatian tennis player Donna Vekić.[50]

Wawrinka has a tattoo on his left forearm in italic script that quotes the Irish writer Samuel Beckett in English: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."[51] On his right arm, he has his daughter's name.[52]

He is a self-proclaimed "big fan" of the Lausanne HC, his hometown ice hockey team.[53]

Commercial endorsements

Wawrinka's corporate sponsors have included Visilab, Fromm, Yonex, Subaru, Audi and Audemars Piguet.

As of June 2016, Wawrinka wears Yonex clothing and shoes and uses the Yonex Vcore 95D racquet with the Yonex Vcore Duel G paint job, formerly playing with a Yonex VCORE Tour 97 paint job. Wawrinka has been known to use Babolat's RPM Blast as his string of choice, opting to string his rackets at 27 kilograms in the main strings and 25 kilograms in the cross strings. Previously, he used Head tennis racquets, first the Flexpoint Prestige MidPlus and Microgel Prestige pro, and then the YOUTEK Prestige Pro MidPlus.[54]

Career statistics

Main article: Stan Wawrinka career statistics

Records accomplished in the Open Era (Post 1968)

Tournament Time Span Record Accomplished Player Tied
Chennai Open 2011–2016 Four men's singles titles overall Stands Alone
2010–2016 5 finals overall
2010–2016 5 Semifinals overall
2014–2016 3 consecutive titles overall

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Current through to the 2016 US Open.

Tournament 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A 2R 3R 2R 3R 3R QF 3R 4R W SF 4R 1 / 11 31–10 75.61
French Open A 3R 1R 2R 3R 3R 4R 4R 4R QF 1R W SF 1 / 12 32–11 74.42
Wimbledon A 1R 3R 1R 4R 4R 1R 2R 1R 1R QF QF 2R 0 / 12 18–12 60.00
US Open A 3R 3R 4R 4R 1R QF 2R 4R SF QF SF W 1 / 12 38–11 77.55
Win–Loss 0–0 4–3 5–4 6–4 9–4 7–4 9–4 9–4 8–4 12–4 13–3 21–3 16–3 3 / 47 119–44 73.00
Finals: 3 (3 titles)
Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Winner 2014 Australian Open Hard Spain Rafael Nadal 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Winner 2015 French Open Clay Serbia Novak Djokovic 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4
Winner 2016 US Open Hard Serbia Novak Djokovic 6–7(1–7), 6–4, 7–5, 6–3

References

  1. ^ "French Open to be first tournament for "Stan" Wawrinka". tennis.com. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Czech pair defeat Swiss in longest Davis Cup game in history". BBC. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  3. ^ Dirs, Ben (29 June 2009). "Murray v Wawrinka as it happened". BBC News. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  4. ^ "French Open to be first tournament for "Stan" Wawrinka". tennis.com. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Wawrinka was born in Switzerland to a German father and Swiss mother". The Week. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  6. ^ Cowper, Sian (29 August 2016). "Swiss, German press argue over Wawrinka nationality". Sports Mole. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Wie sich die Deutschen mit Wawrinka schmücken". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). 1 January 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  8. ^ Michael Wehrle, "Stanislas Wawrinka: Der scheue Junge vom Bauernhof in Saint-Barthélemy" (Stan Wawrinka: The shy boy from the farm in Saint-Barthélemy), Basellandschaftliche Zeitung AG, 27 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  9. ^ "Schooling bio". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Tennis World Magazine – New Worlds New Champions" (PDF). p. 41. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  11. ^ "NY Times: Stan Wawrinka Beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  12. ^ Hodgkinson, Mark (4 September 2010). "Andy Murray in danger as new coach gives Stanislas Wawrinka extra venom". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
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  15. ^ straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com
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  18. ^ "Roof is welcome Wimbledon addition". BBC News. 29 June 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
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  25. ^ Zidan, Karim. "Top 10 ATP Matches of 2013 – 3. Novak Djokovic vs Stanislas Wawrinka – Australian Open 4R". Tennis Article. Steve G Tennis. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
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  27. ^ "Stanislas Wawrinka shocks Rafael Nadal to win Australian Open title". The Guardian. London. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  28. ^ "Video: Roger Federer's wife Mirka called Stan Wawrinka a 'crybaby' on court". The Daily Telegraph. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  29. ^ "Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka fall out with just a week to go until France v Switzerland Davis Cup final". The Daily Telegraph. London. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  30. ^ "Roger Federer's wife Mirka sparked row by heckling Stan Wawrinka". The Daily Telegraph. London. 17 November 2014.
  31. ^ "Roger Federer 'reconciles' with Stanislas Wawrinka by tweeting picture of them together ahead of Davis Cup". The Daily Telegraph. London. 17 November 2014.
  32. ^ http://www.daviscup.com/en/news/191381.aspx
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  34. ^ "Stan Wawrinka stuns Novak Djokovic in final". The Daily Telegraph. London. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  35. ^ "Wawrinka tops Djokovic in French Open final, denying Serb career Slam". 7 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
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  38. ^ Piers Newbery. "French Open: Wawrinka backs Djokovic for career slam". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  39. ^ "Wawrinka stopped in his tracks by Anderson bombardment". rediff.com. 17 June 2015.
  40. ^ Dickson, Mike (12 July 2015). "Wimbledon 2015 highlights: Nick Kyrgios was essential viewing and Heather Watson impressed but Stan Wawrinka failed to go the distance". Retrieved 24 May 2016.
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  42. ^ "Stan Wawrinka (SUI)". Yonex. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  43. ^ "Brain Game: Wawrinka's Plan Of Attack". Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  44. ^ a b Neil Harman (29 June 2009). "Five things you didnt know about Stanislas Wawrinka". The Times. London. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  45. ^ Sapa-dpa. "Wawrinka walked out on family to save his tennis". Times LIVE. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  46. ^ "Ilham Vuilloud : Tennis Connected". tennisconnected.com. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
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  49. ^ "Stan Wawrinka splits from wife Ilham Vuilloud". The Sport View. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  50. ^ "Vekic slams 28-day suspended ban handed to Kyrgios as 'ridiculous'". Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  51. ^ Pearce, Linda (23 January 2014). "How Stanislas Wawrinka failed at becoming a failure". The Age. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  52. ^ Mithell, Kevin (19 April 2015). "Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka splits from wife for second time". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  53. ^ "Stan Wawrinka tritt in VR von HC Lausanne ein". eishockey.ch (in German). 12 July 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  54. ^ Video-Interview with Marco Büchel – News. HEAD.com (26 November 2006). Retrieved 6 September 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stanislas Wawrinka.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Swiss Sportsman of the Year
2015 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for   Switzerland
London 2012 		Succeeded by

Template:Stan Wawrinka

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