'Winning the Davis Cup with Roger Federer was...', says Grand Slam champion

Stan Wawrinka won the 2014 edition of the Australian Open, also defeating Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the latter in the final. He has since returned to the top of the semi-finals in Melbourne twice: in 2015 and 2017, defeated respectively by Nole Djokovic and Roger Federer. In the last edition he played in the quarter-finals, where he was beaten in three sets by Alexander Zverev. Today number 18 in the world rankings, Stan - one of the veterans of the circuit - is preparing to start the 2021 season in the best possible way, which will see him turn 36. One of the most surprising disappointments of Rafael Nadal's career came at Roland Garros 2015 where the Spanish champion lost to Novak Djokovic thus leaving the door open for a new champion who surprisingly was the Swiss tennis player Stan Wawrinka. The strong tennis player won his second career Grand Slam title in Paris by beating Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals and Novak Djokovic in the final respectively. It was an almost "shocking" victory for the tennis world with the Serbian starting as a clear favorite but deservedly defeated by Wawrinka, author of a fantastic performance. In 2016 Rafa was forced to retire but from Roland Garros 2017 he secured four consecutive titles by literally dominating the Slam on clay. During an interview Wawrinka spoke of Rafael Nadal's 13 titles at Roland Garros and stated that this is and will remain as one of the most extraordinary results our sport has ever seen, since the 2005 Paris edition Rafa Nadal has plan showed a new face in the history of this sport. Rafa has won 13 editions out of 16 trips to Paris and in the last 2020 edition he beat all rivals without losing a set despite the difficult conditions that he has never encountered like this year. Nadal only suffered 8 breaks in seven games and delivered incredible numbers on both serve and return.

Wawrinka on the most significant victories in his career

The 35-year-old sat recently down for a chat with French magazine ‘Paris Match Suisse,’ where the interviewer posed this question to the Swiss international. “It’s impossible to get one out. My first title at Umag in Croatia in 2006 was very important,” Stan Wawrinka responded. Wawrinka is a three-time Grand Slam champion and these titles are undeniably the most important ones in his career. His game proved to be unbreakable after he won his first Major in 2014. However, 35-year-old Wawrinka named other accomplishments besides his Grand Slam victories that meant more to him. He frequently represented his country at the Olympics and the Davis Cup and has earned the top honors at both events. “Winning the Davis Cup for Switzerland after having played it for twelve years was fabulous, like the Olympic gold medal with Roger Federer in Beijing, especially since it was my first Olympics,” Wawrinka added. “Without forgetting of course, on a more personal note, my three Grand Slam victories,” he concluded.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2JCFu9u