Stan Makes His Stand
2014 Aussie Open Title Propels Wawrinka Into Top Three
Stanislas Wawrinka took the tennis world by storm winning the year’s first major, the Australian Open, back in January. Wawrinka has been on a tear for quite some time now, taking down numerous top players along the way, as he has risen in the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings to number three in the world as we went to press. He is also now the top-ranked Swiss tennis player, having jumped Roger Federer in the rankings after years of Federer’s Swiss tennis dominance.
Wawrinka began playing at the age of eight. He has one older brother Jonathan, who teaches tennis, and two younger sisters, Djanaee and Naella, who are students and also play tennis. He and his wife, Ilham Vuilloud, a Swiss television host and former fashion model, have two kids.
Wawrinka began playing international junior events at the age of 14, and then began the satellite circuit the following year. He got even more serious about tennis at the age of 15 as he dropped out of school in order to focus on tennis full-time. His greatest junior accomplishment was when he captured the Roland Garros Junior Championship in 2003. He turned pro in 2002 at the age of 17, and by the end of 2005, he hovered just outside the top 50 in the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings.
At the 2008 Olympics, Wawrinka teamed with Roger Federer to represent his home nation of Switzerland in the men's doubles. The pair defeated Americans Bob & Mike Bryan in the semis in straight sets, and captured the Gold Medal against Simon Aspelin & Thomas Johansson of Sweden in four sets.
A holder of six career titles, Wawrinka captured his first Grand Slam in Melbourne this past January, defeating the heavily favored Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
"I saw Roger winning so many Grand Slams in the past, so now it's my turn to win one," said Wawrinka, who became the first man on the ATP Tour to win a major besides Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray since Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open. "I did have an amazing two weeks, and I was playing my best tennis ever."
He finished as high as the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2013, reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in both 2008 and 2009, and was a semifinalist at the 2013 U.S. Open where he fell to eventual finalist Novak Djokovic.
Ranking jumpers in the Top 10
Wawrinka climbed from number eight to number three in the Emirates ATP Rankings following his biggest career title, the 2014 Australian Open. He is the first player to move at least five spots within in the Top 10 since Andre Agassi and Tommy Haas after the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in May 2002.
Current ATP Top 10 (as of 02/21/14)
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB)
3. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
4. David Ferrer (ESP)
5. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
6. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
7. Andy Murray (GBR)
8. Roger Federer (SUI)
Oldest first-time Grand Slam winners
By capturing the 2014 Australian Open title, Wawrinka became the fifth-oldest first-time singles Grand Slam champion in the Open Era (since 1968) at the age of 28. Here is a look at the Top 10 oldest winners:
| Player | Age | Tournament | Previous Best Slam Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanislas Wawrinka | 28 | 2014 Australian Open | Semifinals of the 2013 U.S. Open |
| Goran Ivanisevic | 29 | 2001 Wimbledon | Three-Time Wimbledon Finalist |
| Petr Korda | 30 | 1998 Australian Open | 1992 French Open Finalist |
| Andres Gomez | 30 | 1990 French Open | Five-Time Quarterfinalist (three times at the French Open, once at Wimbledon and once at the U.S. Open) |
| Andres Gimeno | 34 | 1972 French Open | Finalist at the 1969 Australian Open |
Wawrinka lifetime against Top 10 opponents
In 2013, Wawrinka won a career-high nine matches against Top 10 opponents, and at the Australian Open, defeated three Top 10 rivals in a tournament for the first time. He began last year with an 0-4 record against Top 10 competition before securing his first win at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in April. Since that time, Wawrinka is 12-8 against the Top 10 during that stretch and he has defeated every opponent he's played (he has yet to meet del Potro and/or Federer). The following is Wawrinka’s Top 10 (as of 02/21/14) breakdown since April 2013.
| Rank | Player | W-L |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rafael Nadal | 1-4 |
| 2 | Novak Djokovic | 1-3 |
| 5 | David Ferrer | 2-0 |
| 6 | Andy Murray | 2-0 |
| 7 | Tomas Berdych | 4-0 |
| 9 | Richard Gasquet | 1-0 |
| 10 | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 1-1 |
The next question is whether Wawrinka can sustain his success and possibly ever expand on it. The second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, is but a few months away and Wawrinka is certainly a contender for the title. He is playing some of the best tennis of his career and considers clay his best surface making him someone to watch out for at Roland Garros and beyond. Watch out Rafa and Novak … there is a new kid in town!
