Wawrinka: 'Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are not part of this world'

After being one of the great protagonists of world tennis in recent years, Stan Wawrinka has made a name for himself even during the lockdown between very nice posts and the now legendary aperitifs live with his friend Benoit Paire. A few weeks from the restart of the ATP circuit, Stan released a long and interesting interview with the Swiss weekly L’illustré, during which he touched on various topics. Beyond the disappointments and defeats on the court, the three-time Grand Slam champion is very close to Roger Federer and still remembers their first meeting perfectly. Also, former World Number three Wawrinka shared the ‘Big Three’ of tennis hail from a different planet.

Wawrinka on the Big 3

“I assume it completely and I am proud of it. I think that’s what makes me popular. After my first Grand Slam victory, people said to themselves: “Hey, it’s a guy like us who succeeded. This means we can all do it! ” Whereas Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are aliens who have always been above everyone else. I got there much later,” Stan Wawrinka told L’Illustré. Also, at French Open 2015 he defeated both Federer and Djokovic. They were the top to seeds in the event and later pulled off the title. “What I accomplished. I won practically everything that was possible. Young, I never imagined I could accomplish 10% of it all. When I won Roland-Garros junior in 2003, I was just hoping to make it into the top 100 and make a living from tennis. As a child, I never thought I would one day have the level to win a Grand Slam tournament,” he mentioned. The Swiss managed to achieve the impossible to conquer 3 slams in an era completely dominated by the big3 (“aliens”) and with the additional and huge disturbance of Andy Murray. During a recent interview with the l’Illustré, he explains why he was so proud of what he has achieved. Since Federer won the Wimbledon in 2003, only 11 Slams have been won by players rather than the trio. Out of these 11 Slams, Stan Wawrinka (3) and Andy Murray (3) enjoyed some success. The rest of the players won a Slam each. Andy Roddick, Gaston Gaudio, Marat Safin, Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic are the players. Federer won his first Slam in 2003 (Wimbledon). Nadal pocketed his first title in 2005 (French Open), whereas, Djokovic won his maiden Slam in 2008 (Australian Open). Overall, Federer (20), Nadal (19) and Djokovic (17) have won a staggering 56 titles between them.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3eZUQ1l