Stan Wawrinka, a three-time major winner, recently shared his memories of competing against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic for the biggest ATP tour titles in the last ten years.
Former world No. 3 Wawrinka made a name for himself at the top of the game in 2014, winning his first major victory at the Australian Open after defeating Djokovic and Nadal. The Swiss is among the top men’s tennis players outside of the iconic “Big 3,” having won two more Grand Slam events at the 2015 Roland Garros and the 2016 US Open.
Wawrinka said that Federer was a master at breaking his opponents’ rhythm and that playing Nadal was physically and mentally exhausting. But the Swiss saw Djokovic as “the perfect player,” which was a better appraisal of the Serb’s style of play.
Wawrinka expressed his remarks about the ‘Big Three’ and said: “I think they have a different style of play. You have Rafa, who is left-footed; the matches are very hard and very physical. It’s hard physically and mentally to play against him. Roger is a faster player who makes you feel uncomfortable on the court, and Novak is the perfect player because of the way he played.”
He continued, saying that although the Big 3 defeated him in most of their matches, it was still a worthy test of his abilities.
He added: “I had the chance to beat them several times, but I lost many times against all three of them. But for me, it was always an opportunity to play against the best players in the history of tennis. Even if I lost to them, it was always a challenge. It’s always something special to play against those players.”
Wawrinka in Buenos Aires, ranking, and results in 2024
LLLLWLLLWL Ranked no.60, the Swiss achieved an overall 1-1 win-loss record in 2024. Stan is competing in Buenos Aires where he beat the world no.74 Pedro Cachin 6-74 6-1 6-2.
Stan Wawrinka will play the world no.21 Nicolas Jarry in the 2nd round on Wednesday at 8:00 pm on COURT GUILLERMO VILAS. Their current head to head is 1-0 for Wawrinka.
The Swiss won 16 titles in his career: 8 on hard courts, 7 on clay courts and 1 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open) on the 4th of March and Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open) on the 6th of March.
Novak Djokovic in 2024
LWWWLWLWWW At the moment ranked no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 26th of January when he lost to world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-3 in the semifinal of the Australian Open (draw).
At the moment, during this season the Serbian has managed to achieve a compiled 7-2 match record. Novak Djokovic’s latest run at the Australian Open was the best achievement of his season.
Djokovic is scheduled to compete next in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 4th of March.
Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic clashed against each other 29 times. Their current record is 23-6 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they locked horns, Novak Djokovic won 6-3 6-1 7-6(5) in the 3rd round in London (Wimbledon) in July 2023.
You can see them in action in the following highlights.
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Now ranked no.646, the Spaniard played his last match on the 5th of January when he was overcome by world no.42 Jordan Thompson 5-7 7-6(6) 6-3 in the quarter in Brisbane (draw).
At present, during this year Rafael has a 2-1 record.
