Storyline: No spectacular story is Stan Wawrinka’s tennis journey, but inspiring it is. Grounded by a personal philosophy of “improve to fail better,” Wawrinka has become an international star. Written by Ivan Tseng, Taiwan
Swiss tennis star. Multiple Grand Slam championships. Superb, single-handed backhand.
Who’s the first person that pops out of your mind? Probably 99 out of 100 people will say Roger Federer, the living legend of tennis, and arguably the greatest player ever to pick up a racquet. But this story is not about Roger. It’s a story about perseverance and hope, about someone who never gave up pursuing his dream.
It’s the story about Stanislas Wawrinka.
Courtesy: opencourt.ca
Wawrinka was born 0n March 28, 1985 in Lausanne, Switzerland. He began playing tennis at the age of 8 and enjoyed quite a successful junior career. In 2003 he captured the French Open Junior championships at Roland Garros, the very same venue that–12 years later–would cement his place among great champions.
After turning pro at age 17, Stan won his first ATP title in Croatia (2006) when his opponent retired in the first set due to fatigue. Back then, no one could have possibly foreseen that the name of these two finalists will someday be linked forever–Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic. There would be epic marathons, breathtaking rallies, and supreme glory.
By the end of 2006 Stan reached a then career-high World Ranking of No. 29. Such an achievement at 21 years of age should have brought worldwide praise and attention–even more so from his own country–but that was not the case. Switzerland was never a powerful tennis nation, but this era belonged to the one and only Swiss maestro, Roger Federer.
Federer, who stood for elegance, precision, and supremacy, was blitzing through Major after Major, winning almost everything other than the French Open. Stan, on the other hand, was unnoticed. In his own words he was “the Swiss tennis player who loses.”
Roger Federer (Photo courtesy, fanpop.com)
Never a prodigy as Roger was, Stan by no means lacked talent. His game relied heavily on a massive serve that could clock up to 232 km/h and a lethal single-handed backhand that American tennis legend, John McEnroe, described as “the best one-handed backhand in the game today.”
The problem Stan faced was lack of consistency. When his game was “on,” the raw power would blow anyone off the court. But he was unable to maintain a high-level of performance through entire matches. After a barrage of massive winners, a long string of errors always followed. That halted momentum and gave his opponents a chance to breathe. His pattern of play might be enough to survive the first few tournament rounds, but it wouldn’t work against high-level competition.
Before his eventual breakthrough, Wawrinka had an incredible collection of losing strings. He lost 14-in-a-row to Djokovic, 11-in-a-row to Federer, 12-in-a-row to Nadal, and 7 of the last 8 matches against Murray. With the Big Four blocking the way, Stan always seemed “back in the pack” chasing a possible upset here and there. He never had a realistic chance to become a champion.
Despite being unable to overcome the stranglehold of the Big Four, Stan stayed positive and never gave up on the game he so loved. And while many players had a dream of winning a Grand Slam some day, Stan said his childhood goal was different–just to compete in Slams, not necessarily to win them. His tennis philosophy was to stay humble and improve one step at a time.
That attitude served him well, even while he wasn’t a championship contender. He described his mentality this way: “As a tennis player, you have to get used to losing every week. Unless you win the tournament, you always go home a loser. But you have to take the positive out of a defeat and go back to work.” His motto was “Improve to fail better.”
Courtesy: sportsworldnews.com
All the hard work and positive attitude eventually paid dividends. In 2013 people began noticing two major changes from Stan. A new tattoo appeared on his left forearm, a quote from Irish writer Samuel Beckett: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” Stan said he considered the quote to be a perfect illustration of his tennis philosophy.
Another change was Stan’s improved consistency on court, an outcome he attributed to appointing Magnus Norman as his coach (2013). The traditionally weaker forehand gradually evolved into a lethal weapon. Mental breakdowns during matches became less of an issue. Replacing these mental lapses was a strong fighting spirit in clutch moments. With better consistency, he began piling up better results, especially at Majors.
The year of 2013 started with hope for Stan as he took eventual champion Djokovic to 12-10 in the 5th set in Melbourne. At the U.S. Open he took out Murray in straight sets before succumbing to Djokovic in another five-set thriller. Wawrinka finished the year strong, reaching the semis in his first visit of the ATP World Tour Finals before–yet again–falling to Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic (Photo courtesy, community.wagertalk.com
In the 2014 Australian Open quarterfinals, Stan came up against a familiar foe: three-time defending champion, Novak Djokovic, who was riding a 14-match winning streak against Wawrinka.
Few doubted the World No.1, especially after Novak took the first set, 6-2. But Stan came roaring back, claiming the next two sets, 6-4 and 6-2. Djokovic was able to win the next set, 6-3, and then claimed an early break in the decider.
Wawrinka stayed calm and broke back. Djokovic continued to put pressure on the Wawrinka serve, but Stan responded with massive serves and nerveless winners. In the 17th game of the set Stan finally got his chance. Down match-point Djokovic had an easy put-away at the net. But the champion guided the volley wide. Stan finally got his reward. After so many tries, and so many failures, Stan was the man of the moment: he had a career-changing win.
Stan then took out Tomas Berdych in four tight sets and beat an injured Rafael Nadal in the tournament finals to claim his first Grand Slam trophy. After so many years of living in the shadows Stan finally got a chance to enjoy ultimate glory.
Rafael Nadal (Photo courtesy, independent. co.uk)
Then Stan began to struggle as he felt pressure being a champion and playing under such attention. With poor results in tournaments that followed, including a 1st Round exit at Roland Garros, people began to question Stan yet again. Experts described his Aussie title as a “fluke” and stopped considering him to be a contender for major titles.
Back to his familiar role as underdog, Stan steadied the ship and began piling up good results once more. At Roland Garros 2015 he returned strong. Stan comfortably dismissed compatriot, Federer, and outslugged home favorite, Tsonga, en route to the finals with superb displays of skill and power. The only man left standing between him and the title was…who else…Novak Djokovic.
This was supposed to be Djokovic’s year. Having dethroned Nadal in the quarters, there was already talk about a possible calendar-year Grand Slam. A French Open triumph for Novak would put his name on the prestigious list of players who had completed a Career Slam.
Destiny seemed to be on the No.1 seed’s side with history waiting to be made. But, despite being the huge underdog, Stan brought his best on court, especially after dropping the first set. It was a final to savor. This one did not go the distance (as did their previous Slam meetings). Stan’s powerful display on both wings and his nerveless shot-making under clutch situations showed how much he had improved as a player. After four sets of thrilling tennis, he defied the odds to claim another major title.
With that stellar performance there’s no doubt that Stan is a true champion. Now he has to accept the role as constant contender and continue to build on positive results. The prospect of future Slams seems realistic–if he can handle the pressure.
Who knows? We might be witnessing the rise of yet another, great Swiss tennis legend.
