Wawrinka's other achievements include reaching the final of the2017 French Open, winning aMasters 1000 title at the2014 Monte-Carlo Masters, and reaching three other Masters finals (at2008 Rome,2013 Madrid and2017 Indian Wells). He considersclay his best and favorite surface, and his serve and backhand his best shots.John McEnroe once said that Wawrinka has one of the most powerful backhands ever, and in 2009 deemed it "the best one-handed backhand in the game."[6] He has been described byThe Economist as "tennis's great latecomer", owing to finding his greatest success in his late 20s and early 30s.[7] Prior to the2014 French Open, he requested and was granted a formal change in his name from "Stanislas Wawrinka" to "Stan Wawrinka", stating that he plans to use the abbreviated name in tournament draws andpress conferences.[8]
Wawrinka was born in Switzerland to a German father and Swiss mother.[9] He holds dual Swiss–German citizenship.[10][11] His father Wolfram Wawrinka, a farmer and social worker, is German of Czech ancestry. Wawrinka's paternal great-grandfather originated fromSilesia — the border region between Poland and the formerCzechoslovakia — and the surname originates with the Polish language.[12] It is related toWawrzyniec, the Polish version ofLaurence, orLaurentius. Wawrinka's mother, Isabelle, an educator, is Swiss. His mother works as abiodynamic farmer helping disabled people and with her husband, took over the running of her in-law's farm. The property, known as "Ferme du Château", is nearLausanne, and attached to the castle ofSaint-Barthélemy. The farm assists people with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, and people with depression or drug and alcohol problems. Here Wawrinka grew up with his elder brother, Jonathan, and his two younger sisters, Djanaée and Naélla, who are students and tennis players. Wawrinka attended theRudolf Steiner School inCrissier.[13]
Wawrinka started playing tennis at the age of eight, and played once a week until he was eleven, when he started to practice three times a week. Wawrinka stopped attending regular schooling at age 15 to focus full-time on tennis. However, he continued his schooling by distance education with the French organizationCNED, which offered him greater flexibility.[14][15]
Wawrinka turned professional in 2002 at the age of 17. He was coached from age eight until June 2010 by Dimitri Zavialoff.[16]
Wawrinka is a three-timeGrand Slam tournament winner,Olympic champion andDavis Cup champion for his country. He achieved a top-10 ranking by the ATP for the first time on 12 May 2008, and first reached a career peak of world No. 3 on 27 January 2014, at the same time as he became the Swiss No. 1.
Wawrinka started playing international junior events at age 14 and entered the satellite circuit the following year. In 2002 Wawrinka became professional. In 2003 he had his first steps on the tour and ended the year ranked No. 169. He compiled an outstanding junior career, winning the Junior French Open in2003 and reaching as high as No. 7 in the junior world rankings in June 2003.[18]
On 11 July, atGstaad, Wawrinka progressed into his first ever career final, in doubles, withMarc Rosset as his partner. The Swiss pair lost in the final toLeander Paes andDavid Rikl. That year Wawrinka had hisDavis Cup debut with theSwiss National Team. Wawrinka lost his first match againstVictor Hănescu in a dead rubber. Switzerland won the tie 3–2 againstRomania and progressed into theWorld Group quarterfinals. He finished the year ranked No. 162 in the world rankings.
After the French Open, Wawrinka had his firstWimbledon experience but lost in the first round toFabrice Santoro in four sets. Wawrinka had his first singles final at theSwiss Open, but lost toGastón Gaudio.
At theUS Open, Wawrinka defeatedRajeev Ram and Mariano Puerta in five sets before losing in the third round to Nicolás Massú. By the end of 2005, he hovered just inside the top 50.
In July, Wawrinka won his first ATP title, at theCroatia Open Umag, when his opponent in the final,Novak Djokovic, retired through fatigue.[19]
In October, Wawrinka reached a then career-high ranking of No. 29.[20]
In theAustralian Open, Wawrinka reached the third round and was beaten by second seedRafael Nadal, losing in straight sets. He showed some impressive backhand skills, but was unable to deal with Nadal's heavy game.
He suffered a three-month setback, tearing a tendon in his right knee while practicing for the Swiss Davis Cup team's tie against Spain in February.
In theUS Open, Wawrinka reached the fourth round, a stage he had never reached previously in aGrand Slam event, defeating 25th seedMarat Safin in straight sets in the second round. In the fourth round, he was ousted byJuan Ignacio Chela in five sets.
2008–2012: Top 10, first Masters final, Olympic Gold
By reaching the final of the Masters Series event in Rome, Wawrinka entered the top 10 for the first time. He lost in the final toNovak Djokovic, despite taking the opening set.
In theOlympics, Wawrinka teamed with Roger Federer in men's doubles. They beat the favoured AmericansBob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals in straight sets; then in the final, defeatedSimon Aspelin andThomas Johansson of Sweden in four sets to win the gold medal.
Wawrinka reached the fourth round of theUS Open, where British playerAndy Murray defeated him in straight sets.
Wawrinka lost toRafael Nadal in the fourth round at theMiami Masters in Key Biscayne. Nadal came from behind in both sets to beat Wawrinka in two tie-breaks.
At theMonte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka defeated No. 2Roger Federer in straight sets, an upset which halted the chance of a fourth straight Nadal-Federer final in Monte Carlo.
At Wimbledon, in the third round he defeated 21-year-oldJesse Levine, who had upsetMarat Safin in the first round.[21]The Sunday Times reviewed Wawrinka's performance in the match by opining that he is "a strange player, clearly talented but short of match fitness and as clumsy on court as Federer is graceful."[22] Wawrinka was defeated byAndy Murray in five sets in the fourth round. The match was also a debut usage of the new roof onCentre Court and was the latest match at Wimbledon, lasting until 22:37 GMT.[23][24]
Wawrinka played in the Davis Cup tie with Italy and won in his first match againstAndreas Seppi in straight sets.[25]
Wawrinka started his 2010 season by reaching the final of the Chennai Open, losing toMarin Čilić in two tie-breaks. This was Wawrinka's fifth consecutive loss in an ATP final. He reached the third round at theAustralian Open, losing to Čilić again. Wawrinka returned to the ATP Tour at the Sony Ericsson Open after his wife gave birth to their daughter. He defeatedKevin Anderson, before losing toMikhail Youzhny in the third round. He started his clay-court season in Casablanca at the 2010 Grand Prix Hassan II. After receiving a first-round bye, he defeated Slovakian qualifierMartin Kližan in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he defeated wildcardReda El Amrani in straight sets. In the semifinals, he defeated ItalianPotito Starace in three sets to advance to his second ATP final of 2010. In the final, he defeated RomanianVictor Hănescu in straight sets to win his second ATP Tournament. With this tournament win, he snapped a five-match losing streak in ATP finals and a 3½-year title drought. It was also the first professional singles final Wawrinka won, as his previous ATP victory occurred due to a retirement.
Wawrinka became the 13th seed at theMonte-Carlo Masters and defeatedVictor Hănescu in the first round in a rematch of the Casablanca final. He then beat LatvianErnests Gulbis to advance to the third round. He was defeated byNovak Djokovic. Wawrinka reached the quarterfinals in Rome, losing toRafael Nadal, and the semifinals in Belgrade, losing toJohn Isner. At theFrench Open, where he was the 20th seed, he reached the fourth round without dropping a set, defeatingJan Hájek in the first round. In the second round, he defeated GermanAndreas Beck, and in the third round, he beat ItalianFabio Fognini, before losing toRoger Federer in the fourth round.
After an unsuccessful grass season, where he lost in the first round ofWimbledon, Wawrinka separated from his coach since childhood and hiredPeter Lundgren, former coach ofMarat Safin and Federer. The partnership with Lundgren showed its benefits in theUS Open, where Wawrinka reached the quarterfinals, beating fourth seedAndy Murray along the way.
Wawrinka started off 2011 by defeating No. 6Tomáš Berdych along the way to claiming the Chennai Open crown. Wawrinka beatXavier Malisse in the final in three sets. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the2011 Australian Open, after defeatingAndy Roddick in three sets to set up an all-Swiss quarterfinal withRoger Federer, which he lost in straight sets. He also came back from two sets and a break down to defeatJo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round of theFrench Open, before being defeated by Federer once more. Wawrinka was defeated bySimone Bolelli in the second round ofWimbledon andDonald Young at the same stage of theUS Open.[26]
In September, Wawrinka announced that he had parted ways with Lundgren. He played the rest of the season without a coach.[27]
At theSwiss Indoors tournament, Wawrinka made it to the semifinals, after defeatingFlorian Mayer in the quarterfinals. In an all-Swiss semifinal, he was defeated byRoger Federer in straight sets.
Wawrinka started the season in Chennai, where he made the quarterfinals, before being defeated byGo Soeda.
In his Davis Cup tie againstMardy Fish in February, he lost in five sets. Later in February, he traveled to Buenos Aires and Acapulco, where he made to the semifinals, before losing again to Almagro andFernando Verdasco, respectively.
In Monte Carlo, he defeated three Spaniards,Feliciano López,Pablo Andújar, andAlmagro, making it to the quarterfinals before losing to another Spaniard, No. 2Rafael Nadal, the eventual champion. In doubles, he teamed withVictor Troicki, and they made it to the quarterfinals.
Wawrinka made the fourth round of theFrench Open after defeatingFlavio Cipolla,Andújar, andGilles Simon. He was defeated byJo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round, once again coming from two sets down to take the match into a fifth set and recovering a 4–1 deficit in the decider before Tsonga finally prevailed.[28]
Wawrinka then had a series of first-round exits atWimbledon, Gstaad, and in the Summer Olympics, where he lost to the eventual gold medallistAndy Murray. He was Team Switzerland nationalflag bearer at theParade of Nations.[29] He teamed withRoger Federer again in doubles at the Olympics, but they were eliminated in the second round.[30]
He made the semifinals of the Masters 1000 event inCincinnati, before he was defeated by Federer, the eventual champion. Wawrinka again also played doubles withJarkko Nieminen, and they were eliminated in the second round.
At theUS Open, Wawrinka reached the fourth round, but was forced to retire in his match against second seedNovak Djokovic due to illness.
At theAustralian Open, he made it to the fourth round. He lost a gruelling five-set epic againstNovak Djokovic which lasted just over five hours, finally losing in the 22nd game of the fifth set.[31][32] "It definitely ranks right at the top", said Djokovic, after his victory over the Swiss. "One of the longest, most interesting, and most exciting matches I have played in my career."[33] Wawrinka stated that "It's by far my best match I ever [played], especially in five sets against the No. 1 player."[33]
In the first round of theDavis Cup on 2 February 2013, he played the longest ATP doubles match in history. He andMarco Chiudinelli were defeated byLukáš Rosol andTomáš Berdych of theCzech Republic in 7 hours and 2 minutes, including a 46-game-long final set. The match was the second-longest ATP match ever (singles and doubles combined).
Wawrinka made it to the final of theCopa Claro in Buenos Aires, losing toDavid Ferrer in that final.
Wawrinka won the fourth title of his career at thePortugal Open, where he defeated the top seed and No. 4David Ferrer. This was his first title since January 2011.
In theMadrid Masters, Wawrinka's run of success continued, with a three-set win overJo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. The following day, he defeatedTomáš Berdych, also in three sets, to advance to his second Masters 1000 final againstRafael Nadal. With this victory, he also re-entered the Top 10 at No. 10, and stayed inside the Top 10 till 2018. He lost the final in straight sets.
He made it to the quarterfinals of theFrench Open for the first time after recovering from two sets down to beatRichard Gasquet in the fourth round, but subsequently lost to defending and seven-time championRafael Nadal in straight sets.
In theUS Open, Wawrinka reached his first Grand Slam semifinal, losing to top seedNovak Djokovic, again in five tightly contested sets. Previously he had defeated No. 5Tomáš Berdych in four sets in the fourth round and No. 3 and defending championAndy Murray in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
After his Grand Slam breakthrough, Wawrinka continued to display solid form, reaching the semifinals inKuala Lumpur, where he lost toJulien Benneteau, and quarterfinals ofMasters 1000 tournaments in Shanghai and Paris, losing toRafael Nadal andNovak Djokovic, respectively.
Wawrinka went to theATP World Tour Finals for the first time in his career. He made an impact on the tournament, beatingTomáš Berdych andDavid Ferrer in round-robin matches. Although he lost toRafael Nadal in straight sets for the twelfth time in his career, both sets were finished in tight tiebreaks, and the Swiss actually won more points in the match. Wawrinka advanced in second place to the semifinals, where he metNovak Djokovic and lost to him for the fourth time that year.
Wawrinka began his ninth season on theATP World Tour with a win at theChennai Open in India, winning this tournament for the second time in his career, defeatingÉdouard Roger-Vasselin in the final in straight sets.
At theAustralian Open, Wawrinka beatAndrey Golubev andAlejandro Falla in the first two rounds, then had a walkover whenVasek Pospisil pulled out of their third-round match, followed by a straight-set win overTommy Robredo. Wawrinka's quarterfinal opponent wasNovak Djokovic, and this time Wawrinka won in five sets, taking the deciding fifth set 9–7 after being a break down. The victory ended a 14-match losing streak against the three-time reigning champion. He then faced off against another first-time Australian Open semifinalist,Tomáš Berdych, winning the match in four tight sets (including three tiebreaks). In the ensuing final, he defeated No. 1Rafael Nadal in four sets, thus denying Nadal's attempt for the distinction of being the only active men's tennis player to hold at least two titles at each of the four Grand Slam tournaments (an achievement that was ultimately attained by Djokovic in the2021 French Open and Nadal himself in the2022 Australian Open). The victory was his first win over Nadal in 13 attempts (having never won a set against him in their previous 12 meetings), and also made him the first man sinceSergi Bruguera in 1993 to beat both of the top two seeds en route to a Grand Slam title.[34] (Bruguera defeated No. 1Pete Sampras and No. 2Jim Courier at the1993 French Open). This was also only the second time since 2005 that a player outside of the'Big Four' (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray) had won a Grand Slam title, and the first sinceJuan Martín del Potro won the US Open in 2009. In addition, Wawrinka became the first player to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic in a single Grand Slam tournament.[35] He is also the second Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title after Federer.
Due to his championship victory at theAustralian Open, Wawrinka for the first time in his career reached the top five, becoming No. 3, and the top-ranked Swiss player in the world ahead of Federer for the first time.
Playing for Switzerland in the first round of theDavis Cup against Serbia, he defeatedDušan Lajović in four sets in the second rubber. Switzerland went on to win the tie 3–2 (after an unassailable 3–0 lead) to reach their first Davis Cup quarterfinal since 2004.
After a one-month break, he next played at theBNP Paribas Open inIndian Wells as the third seed. In his opening round (after receiving a first-round bye due to his seeding), he overcameIvo Karlović in straight sets. In the third round, he defeatedAndreas Seppi dropping only two games. In the fourth round, his 13-match winning streak from the start of the season came to an end againstKevin Anderson.
Wawrinka returned to Switzerland's Davis Cup team for their quarterfinal against Kazakhstan. Wawrinka was beaten in his first match byAndrey Golubev, then (after Federer had levelled the tie by beatingMikhail Kukushkin) he and Federer lost their doubles match to Golubev andAleksandr Nedovesov. However, Wawrinka then came from a set down to beat Kukushkin and level the match again. Federer won the deciding rubber to send Switzerland to the semifinals, where they would play Italy.
At theMonte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka crushedMarin Čilić in the second round, losing only two games in the process. He then received a walkover in the third round toNicolás Almagro. In the quarterfinal, Wawrinka defeatedMilos Raonic in straight sets to secure his second semifinal appearance in the principality. Wawrinka defeatedDavid Ferrer in the semifinals to become one of the few players to reach the finals of all 3 Masters tournament on clay. The stage was set for the first all-Swiss final in fourteen years, as he would take on his friendRoger Federer. In the first set, Federer secured an early break and prevented any chances of Wawrinka breaking and closed out the opener. However, Wawrinka fought back to take a close second set in a tiebreak, and after that, Wawrinka gained the momentum. He did not relinquish his advantage, winning his first Masters 1000 title on his third attempt. In doing so, Wawrinka took over the top spot in the 'Race to London'. Thus far, Wawrinka had defeated Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer that season, whom he had a 2–15, 0–12, and 1–13 record respectively, coming into the 2014 season. However, Wawrinka had less success in his next two tournaments, losing in the second round in Madrid toDominic Thiem and the third round of Rome toTommy Haas. Wawinka then suffered a first-round defeat toGuillermo García López in theFrench Open.
Wawrinka was seeded fifth forWimbledon due to the tournament's seeding process being a combination of world ranking and recent grass court form, meaning Wawrinka (who had lost in the first round the previous two years) was seeded lower than No. 5Andy Murray and No. 4Roger Federer as they had won the title the previous two seasons. Wawrinka proceeded to have his best-ever run at the tournament, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time, dropping just one set in the process. He faced Federer in the first all-Swiss men's quarterfinal in Wimbledon history, losing in four close sets.
Wawrinka was seeded third for the US Open due to Nadal's withdrawal. He reached his fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal from the last seven tournaments, defeatingTommy Robredo in four sets in the fourth round, having survived set points in the third-set tiebreaker. He was eventually beaten by finalistKei Nishikori in five sets.
Wawrinka lost in early-round matches at three consecutive tournaments in October. At theJapan Open Tennis Championships, he was seeded first, but was defeated in the first round in straight sets byTatsuma Ito of Japan, then ranked No. 103 on theATP tour. The following week at theShanghai Rolex Masters tournament, he was seeded fourth, but was defeated in three sets by unseededGilles Simon in the second round, after having had abye in the first round. He was up a break in the third set against Simon, but won only one of the final five games. At the time, Wawrinka was ranked No. 4 and Simon No. 29 on the ATP rankings. In Basel, he was beaten in the first round byMikhail Kukushkin in three sets. At the Paris Masters 1000, Wawrinka recorded his first win since the US Open againstDominic Thiem. However, he fell in three tight sets toKevin Anderson in the next round.
Wawrinka had a good run in the ATP World Tour Finals, where he beatTomáš Berdych andMarin Čilić. He lost to Djokovic in the next round-robin match, but progressed to the semifinals. In the semifinals, he faced No. 2 Roger Federer, and after 2 hours he had four match points but failed to convert any of them and lost in three sets. After the match, reports emerged that Federer and Wawrinka had a heated discussion lasting for 10 minutes in the gym at the O2, after officials reportedly told them to resolve their differences after a flare-up in the tunnel. The spat was reportedly caused byMirka Federer's calling Wawrinka a crybaby.[36][37][38]
The pair appeared as friends though when they met for the Davis Cup final.[39] In the final against France, Wawrinka gave his country the perfect start by defeatingJo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets.[40] Wawrinka then teamed up with Federer to win the doubles rubber and give Switzerland a 2–1 lead going into the final day. The match ended a sequence of four doubles rubbers losses for the pair, and it was their first win together on clay. Wawrinka did not play on the final day, as Federer sealed the tie, by beating Gasquet in straight sets for Switzerland's first Davis Cup title. With the win, Wawrinka became the first player sinceAndre Agassi in 1992 to win his first Grand Slam title and first Davis Cup in the same season.
In January, Wawrinka was crowned champion of theChennai Open for the third time running, winning against Slovenian player,Aljaž Bedene in the final, after a win against No. 22David Goffin. At theAustralian Open he reached the semifinals again by beatingKei Nishikori in straight sets. In his semifinal, Wawrinka lost toNovak Djokovic in five sets, bringing an end to his Australian Open title defence. As a result of failing to defend his title, Wawrinka dropped from No. 4 in theworld rankings pre-tournament to No. 9 post-tournament.[41] On 15 February, he prevailed overTomáš Berdych in three sets to win the title at theABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. He next competed at theOpen 13 in Marseille, where he reached the quarterfinals, losing toSergiy Stakhovsky. He then competed at theIndian Wells Masters, where he lost toRobin Haase in his opening match, after receiving a first-round bye. He next played theMiami Masters in Miami, losing toAdrian Mannarino in straight sets in the third round. As defending champion at theMonte-Carlo Masters, Wawrinka lost toGrigor Dimitrov in the third round. He later lost in the third round at theMutua Madrid Open, again to Dimitrov. In theRome Masters, Wawrinka reached the semifinals before being defeated by Federer in straight sets.
Wawrinka next competed in theFrench Open, as the 8th seed. He beatMarsel İlhan andDušan Lajović in three and four sets, respectively, before beatingSteve Johnson andGilles Simon in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, and defeated compatriotRoger Federer in straight sets to reach his first Roland Garros semifinal. This was also Wawrinka's first win over Federer in a major tournament. Winning in four sets againstJo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals, he earned his second appearance in a Grand Slam final, this time against top seedNovak Djokovic. He defeated Djokovic in four sets, after being down a break in the fourth set and 0–40 in a subsequent game.[42] He broke Djokovic's service twice in the set, reeling off six of the final seven games of the match. With this victory, Wawrinka claimed his second Grand Slam tournament title, and Djokovic failed to win a personal career Grand Slam.[43] Wawrinka's French Open championship also denied Djokovic the 2015 calendar year Grand Slam, as Djokovic won all other Grand Slam tournaments that year. Mirroring his victory at the2014 Australian Open, Wawrinka was seeded 8th at this tournament, defeated the 2nd and 1st seeds in the quarterfinals and finals, respectively, clinched the championship match in four sets, and rose five positions in theATP rankings, back to the No. 4 position, which was his original position at the beginning of the year.[44][45] This was also the 2nd time sinceSergi Bruguera at the1993 French Open that the champion defeated No. 1 (Novak Djokovic) and No. 2 (Roger Federer) players in the same grand slam (Wawrinka also accomplished this feat at the 2014 Australian Open). Wawrinka is the first man to win Roland Garros after losing in the first round in the previous year sinceAlbert Costa in 2002, and the first former boys' champion to win the men's title sinceMats Wilander in 1982.[46]
Wawrinka exited fromQueen's Club as the Swiss bowed out of theAegon Championships in the second round, against eventual runner-upKevin Anderson.[47] He reached the quarter finals ofWimbledon, the furthest he had ever reached, matching his result from last year, but was ousted byRichard Gasquet in a five-set thriller, despite being up two sets to one.[48]
Wawrinka continued his dominant Grand Slam form at theUS Open, with wins overAlbert Ramos,Chung Hyeon,Ruben Bemelmans,Donald Young. He then beat South AfricanKevin Anderson in straight sets in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals, where he was dispatched in straight sets byRoger Federer. Wawrinka then helped Switzerland advance to the Davis Cup World Group with a five-set win over DutchmanThiemo de Bakker in Geneva.[49] He then competed in theRakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, entering as the first seed. Wawrinka avenged his loss toTatsuma Ito at the same tournament the previous year by defeating him in the second round. He eventually advanced to the finals, where he beatBenoît Paire in straight sets and won his fourth title of the season. Wawrinka then entered theShanghai Rolex Masters, where he defeated former US Open championMarin Čilić in a three-set battle before losing in straight sets to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. Playing in theParis Masters, Wawrinka avenged his previous loss to Rafael Nadal in Shanghai with a two set victory. In the semifinals, Wawrinka lost to Novak Djokovic in a three set match. He then matched his performance at theATP World Tour Finals the previous year by reaching the semifinals in London with round-robin wins overAndy Murray andDavid Ferrer. In the semifinals, Wawrinka played Roger Federer for the fifth time in the 2015 season, losing in straight sets.
Wawrinka started his season at theChennai Open where he was the two-time defending champion and 1st seed. He started against young wildcardAndrey Rublev. He won in straight sets. Then he played 5th seedGuillermo García López. He also won in straight sets. In the semifinal he played against 3rd seed and good friendBenoît Paire. He won another straight sets match. In the final he played 8th seed and young talentBorna Ćorić. He successfully defended his title without dropping a set the entire tournament.
He then played in theAustralian Open where he was the 4th seed. He started againstDmitry Tursunov who was here on a protected ranking. Wawrinka won the first two sets beforeTursunov had to retire due to injury. He then played qualifierRadek Štěpánek where he won in straight sets. He then proceeded to the third round where he playedLukáš Rosol. He also won in straight sets to mark his 400th career win.[50] Then in the fourth round he played big serving Canadian and 13th seedMilos Raonic. Despite pushing it to a fifth set he was unable to overcome the Canadian and lost. It also snapped Wawrinka's streak of 6 consecutive quarterfinals or better appearances in Grand Slams.
His next tournament was the second major of the year, theFrench Open, as the 3rd seed and the defending champion. AgainstLukáš Rosol Wawrinka was down two sets to one, but came through in five sets. Wins overTaro Daniel,Jérémy Chardy andViktor Troicki sent Wawrinka to the quarterfinals, where he dispatchedAlbert Ramos Viñolas in straight sets. In the semifinals he played 2nd seedAndy Murray. He lost in four sets. He then played at Queens in the Aegon Championships as the second seed. However he suffered a straight sets defeat to No. 53 Fernando Verdasco in the first round. His next tournament was at theWimbledon Championships, as the 4th seed. In the first round he facedTaylor Fritz and won in four sets. However, he was beaten in the second round byJuan Martín del Potro on the comeback in four sets. After missing theOlympics due to a back injury, Wawrinka played at the Cincinnati Masters. However, he would lose to Grigor Dimitrov in two sets in the third round.
Prior to the start of the U.S. Open, Wawrinka returned to the Top 3 in theATP rankings due to Roger Federer being unable to defend his title in Cincinnati due to injury. In the first round he facedFernando Verdasco, beating the Spaniard in straight sets. He then faced qualifierAlessandro Giannessi, also winning in three sets. He then played a four-hour match in the third round against British playerDaniel Evans, which saw Wawrinka save a match point in the fourth set tiebreak, before beating Evans in five sets. He then defeatedIllya Marchenko in four sets in the fourth round. In his fourth consecutive quarterfinal appearance at the U.S. Open, he defeatedJuan Martín del Potro in four sets. He defeatedKei Nishikori in the semifinals in four sets and went on to defeat Novak Djokovic in four sets to win the 2016 U.S. Open, his third major title in as many years and his eleventh consecutive win in a championship final.[51] With this victory, Wawrinka improved his record to 2–0 in major finals against Djokovic and he remained the only player to defeat Djokovic in Djokovic's twelve Grand Slam finals dating back tothe 2014 Wimbledon championships.[52] Much as Wawrinka's2015 French Open victory denied Djokovic the 2015 calendar year Grand Slam, his win at this tournament denied Djokovic claiming three Grand Slam victories in successive years (2015 and 2016). Wawrinka defeated the No. 1 player in the finals of all three of his grand slam titles. The 2016 US Open final was the only match that year in which Djokovic won the first set but lost the match (53–1).[53]
Wawrinka then played his final tournament of the season at theATP World Tour Finals, and for the first time failed to make to the semifinals, losing his first round robin match in straight sets toKei Nishikori, then beatingMarin Čilić in 2 tiebreaks, and losing to No. 1Andy Murray in straight sets. As a result of this andMilos Raonic reaching the semifinals, Raonic overtook Wawrinka as No. 3 at the conclusion of the tournament. Wawrinka would finish the season as No. 4 for the third straight year.
To start his 2017 campaign, Wawrinka chose not to defend his Chennai Open title (he had won the previous 3 editions), and played in Brisbane instead. He reached the semifinals, losing to No. 5 Kei Nishikori in straight sets. At theAustralian Open he barely escaped a first round exit by beating Slovakian playerMartin Kližan after being down a break in the 5th set. He then playedSteve Johnson and beat him in straight sets and playedViktor Troicki in the third round, winning in four sets. In the fourth round, he played ItalianAndreas Seppi, beating him in three tight tiebreaks to progress to the quarterfinals. He then beat 12th seedJo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets, to set up a semifinal against his compatriot and 17th seedRoger Federer. Wawrinka lost the all-Swiss clash, recovering from a two sets to love deficit and holding numerous breaking points in the opening games of 5th set only to ultimately lose 3–6. Federer went on towin the tournament. Despite the loss this result elevated Wawrinka back to No. 3. Wawrinka was then upset byDamir Džumhur in the first round of theDubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in straight sets.
At theIndian Wells Masters, Wawrinka was seeded 3rd. After receiving a bye, his first two matches included victories overPaolo Lorenzi andPhilipp Kohlschreiber. In the fourth round, Wawrinka came from down a set to beat lucky loserYoshihito Nishioka in the third set tiebreak after Nishioka served for the match twice. He then beatDominic Thiem in three sets to reach his ninth ATP Masters 1000 semifinal. He defeated first-time Masters semifinalistPablo Carreño Busta in straight sets to reach his first final at Indian Wells, as well as his first Masters final on hard court. He was defeated byRoger Federer in the final in straight sets. Wawrinka was notably the only person to break Federer's serve during the entire tournament, after he broke Federer's opening service game in the second set.
At theMiami Masters Wawrinka was the top seed at a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career, after No. 1Andy Murray and No. 2Novak Djokovic both withdrew due to elbow injuries. He was defeated in the fourth round byAlexander Zverev Jr. in three sets.
At the French Open, Wawrinka defeated Jozef Kovalík, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Fabio Fognini, Gaël Monfils and Marin Čilić in straight sets. In a rematch of last year's semifinal he played Andy Murray in the semis. However this year Wawrinka was victorious in five sets. In the final he was defeated by Nadal in straight sets, his first loss in a major final.
Wawrinka then enteredWimbledon with the chance to complete his career Grand Slam, but lost his opening match againstDaniil Medvedev, a Russian player who was making his Wimbledon debut, in four sets.[54] There was speculation that Wawrinka had an injured knee, and Wawrinka confirmed it by announcing that he would be taking time off to heal. On 4 August 2017, Wawrinka announced that he would undergo surgery to repair the damage on his knee, and that he would miss the remainder of the 2017 tennis season.[55]
He made his return to the tour at the2018 Australian Open, where he lost in the second round toTennys Sandgren in straight sets.[56] His next tournament was theSofia Open, where he lost in the semifinals toMirza Bašić.[57] Then he entered theABN AMRO World tournament, where he lost in the first round to wildcardTallon Griekspoor. His next tournament was theOpen 13 in Marseille, France. He retired during his first match, trailingIlya Ivashka by one set, at 1–1 during the second set because of his knee injury.[58]
After missing almost three months due to his injury, Wawrinka returned in the2018 Italian Open but lost in the first round toSteve Johnson in straight sets.[59] He then played at the2018 Geneva Open where he was the two-time defending champion but his title defense ended in a straight sets defeat toMárton Fucsovics in the quarterfinals.[60] In the2018 French Open, he was seeded 23rd, but lost in the first round toGuillermo García López in five sets,[61] which made him drop from 30 to 263 in the rankings. He enteredQueens as a wildcard, losing to fifth seedSam Querrey in the second round. He gained entry toEastbourne as a wildcard, where, in the first round, he playedAndy Murray, who was playing just his second tournament after a year-long absence from the sport. Wawrinka lost in straight sets.
Wawrinka entered the2018 US Open as a wildcard, where he was again drawn againstGrigor Dimitrov in the first round. He triumphed in straight sets and advanced to the third round, defeatingUgo Humbert in four sets. He then lost toMilos Raonic in the third round.
Wawrinka started his 2019 season at theQatar Open, where he lost in quarterfinals to eventual championRoberto Bautista Agut. At theAustralian Open, for a second straight grand slam tournament, he was defeated by Raonic in four sets, this time in the second round. At theRotterdam Open, Wawrinka reached his first tournament final in over 20 months, where he fell toGaël Monfils in three sets,[62] and this was followed by a three set defeat toNick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals of theMexico Open.[63]
Wawrinka was seeded 24th at theFrench Open. He won his first two matches againstJozef Kovalík andCristian Garín before beatingGrigor Dimitrov for the third time in the last four majors to record his 500th career win.[64] He then defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round in an 'epic' five setter that lasted 5 hours and 9 minutes to advance to his first major quarterfinal in two years.[65] However, he was eliminated by Roger Federer, the third seed, in four close sets.[66]
At theUS Open, Wawrinka upset top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the round of 16; Djokovic pulled out after dropping the first two sets. It was their first match since Wawrinka's victory in the 2016 US Open final and marked his third win over Djokovic when he was No. 1 and fifth career win overall over a world No. 1.[67] He went on to lose the quarterfinal toDaniil Medvedev.[68]
At the2020 Australian Open, Wawrinka beatDamir Džumhur in four sets in the first round before defeatingAndreas Seppi in five sets in the second round. He then progressed to the fourth round afterJohn Isner retired with injury and then upsetDaniil Medvedev in five sets to reach the quarterfinals. Wawrinka then lost his quarterfinal match toAlexander Zverev in four sets.[69]
The 2020 French Open was then postponed to September, and Wimbledon was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wawrinka did not participate in the2020 US Open due to the health situation in New York, one of the worst affected states.[70]At the2020 French Open, Wawrinka defeatedAndy Murray in straight sets and then followed it up with a four-set win overDominik Koepfer in the second round. He then lost in the third round toHugo Gaston in five sets.[71]
Following early exits in Rotterdam and Doha, he had surgery for a left foot injury. This caused him to miss the clay, grass and hardcourt seasons including the2021 French Open,Wimbledon and the North American hardcourt swing including the2021 US Open.[72][73][74][75]
2022: ATP semifinal, 60th Top-10 win, back to top 150
At theUS Open, using protected ranking, Wawrinka retired during his first round match against Corentin Moutet due to undisclosed reasons.[79]At the2022 Moselle Open he defeated top seedDaniil Medvedev to reach the quarterfinals as a qualifier.[80] Next he defeatedMikael Ymer to reach his first semifinal in more than two years. As a result he returned to the top 200 climbing more than 90 positions up the rankings.[81] After two straight first round losses at the2022 Astana Open and at the2022 European Open both as a wildcard, at his home tournament the2022 Swiss Indoors, using protected ranking, Wawrinka defeated world No. 3 and second seedCasper Ruud to record his 60th Top-10 win of his career. He became the fourth active man to record 60 Top-10 wins, and the 16th man in theOpen Era to do it.[82][83] As a result he moved 25 positions up in the rankings. Next he won againstBrandon Nakashima and climbed 15 positions up to the top 150 in the rankings.He also revealed he has rehiredMagnus Norman as his coach.[84]
2023–2025: 70th major event, third-oldest ATP semifinalist
In 2023, Wawrinka completed his first full season since 2019. In this season, he achieved his most number of matches played since 2019, highest win percentage since 2020, and reached his first ATP final since 2019. At the Grand Slam level, Wawrinka reached the third round for the first time since 2020 with his wins againstTomás Martín Etcheverry atWimbledon andNew York in the second round, before losing in straight sets to eventual finalistNovak Djokovic[85] and in four sets toJannik Sinner,[86] respectively. He concluded his year ranked world No. 49, his highest ranking since 2020.
Wawrinka began his 2023 season at the inauguralUnited Cup, leading Team Switzerland into the group stage inBrisbane, Australia. He won his first match againstAlexander Bublik of Kazakhstan but lost his next match againstHubert Hurkacz of Poland, both in straight sets, ultimately becoming unsuccessful to progress to the host city and elimination stage.[87][88] His Australian season ended inMelbourne, with a first round loss toAlex Molčan in five sets.
Following Paris and Wimbledon, he returned to the Swiss clay in Gstaad, losing to Jaume Munar in straight sets.[105] In doubles, Wawrinka teamed up with compatriotDominic Stricker and the pair went on to lift the trophy on home soil.[106] His run inUmag included his first ATP final since 2019, defeatingFilip Misolic,Federico Coria,Roberto Carballes Baena, andLorenzo Sonego. After winning the first set in a tiebreak, he was defeated byAlexei Popyrin in three sets.[107] By reaching the final, he ascended to World No. 49.[108]
At 39 years old, as the oldest tournament quarterfinalist ever at the2024 Stockholm Open,[113] Wawrinka reached the semifinals defeating top seedAndrey Rublev to get his first top 10 win since August 2023. He became the third-oldest semifinalist in the ATP history (since 1990), behindJimmy Connors andIvo Karlovic.[114]
At the2024 Swiss Indoors Wawrinka became the oldest match winner in the tournament history, defeating Adrian Mannarino as a wildcard, for the first time, having lost to him three times previously.[115]
Aged 40 at the2025 Țiriac Open where he received a wildcard, Wawrinka defeatedTimofey Skatov to record his first win since October 2024, making him the third 40-year-old to win an ATP Tour or Grand Slam match on clay since 1980 joining Jimmy Connors and Ivo Karlovic.[119][120][121]
Possessing one of the strongestone-handed backhands on tour, Wawrinka is characterized as a powerfuloffensive baseliner capable of playing well on most surfaces, especially on clay and hard courts.[123] He is known for his fast serve which has reached as high as 232 kilometres per hour (144 mph). His forehand, considered a weakness early in his career, has improved significantly and is now a big weapon in his game. Wawrinka is known by the nicknames "Stanimal"[124] and "Stan the Man" for both his play style and ability to win in big matches, particularly between the 2014 Australian Open and the 2016 US Open.
As analyzed in aNew York Times Magazine article (2014 August 22), Wawrinka's backhand drive motion is unique in several areas:[125]
Upon releasing the racquet to make contact with the ball, hip and body turn continues to open up the chest to face the opponent (unlike most conventional 1HBH players that stop with the hitting shoulder facing the opponent)
Racquet face remain closed throughout the follow-through (unlike most conventional 1HBH players that open up the racquet face during the follow-though for a lifting action)
The racquet continues the swing path to reach behind the body (unlike most conventional 1HBH players that let the lifting action to bring the racquet above the head)
Wawrinka's backhand drive motion
In 2013, he began working with new coachMagnus Norman, who was a former world No. 2 and coachedRobin Söderling to two consecutiveFrench Open finals and a Masters title. This partnership has been credited with improvement in Wawrinka's overall game, who qualified for theATP World Tour Finals for the first time the same year and ended the year in Top 10 for the first time. The following 3 years Wawrinka won 1 Grand Slam each year, qualified for Tour Finals, and also year-end World #4 in those seasons.
Norman is also credited with improvement in Wawrinka's mental toughness, as seen in his performance in important matches and was evident in his victories overAndy Murray at the2013 US Open, andNovak Djokovic at the2014 Australian Open (both were defending champions), as well as his improved consistency, culminating in his win over No. 1Rafael Nadal at the 2014 Australian Open in which Wawrinka survived a fightback from Nadal to clinch the title. He also survived a fightback from No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the 2015 French Open final, being down one break of serve in the fourth set, before breaking Djokovic's service twice to clinch the title.
Despite his late-career successes, Wawrinka has been mired with inconsistency throughout his career. Illustrative of this is his record against players ranked No. 1 in the world. In Grand Slam finals, he holds a 3–0 record against No. 1 players but is 2–20 in all other matches against No. 1s, with those victories coming in the semifinals of the2017 French Open againstAndy Murray and the fourth round of the2019 US Open againstNovak Djokovic. This, combined with the 11 consecutive finals won, has given Wawrinka the reputation of being a "big-match player". Furthermore, Wawrinka is one of only two players in the Open Era to have won three Grand Slam singles titles, but never been ranked higher than No. 3, the other beingJan Kodeš.
Wawrinka andNovak Djokovic have played 27 times with Wawrinka trailing 6–21. Wawrinka defeated Djokovic at three Grand Slam tournaments which he won, including two finals. Wawrinka and Djokovic played in three consecutive Australian Opens (2013–2015), with each match going to five sets, a five-set match at the 2013 US Open, and a five set match at the 2006 Davis Cup. At the 2013 Australian Open, the two played each other in the fourth round with Djokovic winning 12–10 in the fifth set, with the match being considered one of the best ever played.[31][32][126][127][128][129] Later that year at the US Open in what was Wawrinka's first career Grand Slam semifinal appearance, Djokovic won 6–4 in the fifth set. At the 2014 Australian Open quarterfinals, Wawrinka won 9–7 in the fifth set, breaking Djokovic's run of 14 consecutive semifinals in Grand Slam tournaments and ending Djokovic's 25-match winning streak at the Australian Open. Djokovic got revenge at the 2015 Australian Open, winning 6–0 in the fifth set. In the 2015 French Open final, Wawrinka defeated Djokovic in four sets to claim his second Grand Slam title and thereby become the only player apart fromRoger Federer to defeat Djokovic in the Australian Open and the French Open. Wawrinka defeated Djokovic in four sets to win the 2016 US Open singles title. At the 2019 US Open, Wawrinka once again defeated Djokovic (who at the time had won 36 of his last 37 Grand Slam matches) after Djokovic retired injured trailing two sets to love. At the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, Djokovic defeated Wawrinka in three sets. Contrary to most high-profile rivalries, they have played doubles together and maintain a close friendship. Despite Djokovic's 21–6 overall record against Wawrinka, Wawrinka leads Djokovic 2–0 in Grand Slam finals and 3–2 in allATP finals. Their overall head-to-head in Grand Slam matches is in Djokovic's favor, with him leading 5–4.[130] In Djokovic's thirteen Grand Slam finals dating from2014 Wimbledon through the2020 Australian Open, his only two losses came at the hands of Wawrinka. Moreover, in Djokovic's 35 Grand Slam championship matches, Wawrinka is one of only two opponents (alongsideCarlos Alcaraz) he has not defeated and Wawrinka is one of only three opponents outside theBig Four (the others being Alcaraz andDaniil Medvedev) who have defeated him.
Wawrinka and his compatriotRoger Federer have played each other 26 times with Wawrinka trailing 3–23. Federer leads 7–1 in Grand Slam tournaments, 17–0 on hard courts, 1–0 on grass courts and 4–3 on clay courts.[131] While the rivalry is one-sided in Federer's favour, the two of them have contested some close matches such as the2014 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters final in which Wawrinka came from behind a set to defeat Federer in three sets to win his first Masters 1000 title. Wawrinka also defeated Federer in straight sets during the2015 French Open quarterfinals en route to winning his first ever French Open title although Federer then reversed it with a straight sets victory in the2015 US Open semifinals. Federer defeated Wawrinka in five sets in the2017 Australian Open semifinals en route to his 18th major title. Other close matches include the2012 Shanghai Masters and the2013 Indian Wells Masters, both of which Federer won in three sets, the2014 Wimbledon quarterfinal which Federer won in four sets and the2014 ATP World Tour Finals in which Federer won in three sets after saving four match points. The duo's most recent encounter took place at2019 French Open with Federer prevailing in four sets. Despite their on-court rivalry, they are close friends off court[132] and they have played doubles together on numerous occasions,[133] most notably when they won the doubles Olympic Gold at the2008 Beijing Olympics and when winning the2014 Davis Cup.
Wawrinka andAndy Murray have played 23 times with Wawrinka trailing 10–13. Murray leads 9–4 on hard courts and 3–0 on grass courts while Wawrinka leads 6–1 on clay courts. They have also met 8 times in Grand Slam tournaments and result is Stan leading 5–3.[134] They have contested some close matches and two of their most notable matches were in the2009 Wimbledon fourth round which Murray won in five sets and was the first men's match to be played under the Wimbledon roof, having the latest finish for a Wimbledon match at the time,[135] and the2017 French Open semi-final, where Wawrinka prevailed in a five-set thriller that lasted over four hours. Wawrinka also ended Murray's title defence at the2013 US Open quarterfinals with a comfortable straight sets victory.[136] Other close matches the two have contested include the2010 US Open which Wawrinka won in four sets and was Murray's last defeat before a Grand Slam quarterfinal until the2015 US Open,[137] the2008 Canada Open and2011 Shanghai Masters, both of which Murray won in three sets.
While Murray has led the majority of the rivalry, Wawrinka won their first two matches and beat Murray three consecutive times between 2013 and 2015, winning all of them in straight sets, until Murray ended the winning streak at the2016 French Open, beating the defending champion Wawrinka in four sets. In the2018 Eastbourne International, Murray won in straight sets. Around this time Wawrinka was identified by some, including Djokovic, as a potential contender to turn the Big Four tennis quartet into a "Big Five", although Wawrinka himself downplayed those suggestions, stating that he was still far behind the others.[138][139] Their most recent encounter before the 2020 French Open was in the final of the European open 2019 in which Murray prevailed coming back from a set and a break down to win his first title since 2017 and his hip surgery. They met in the2020 French Open first round with Wawrinka winning in straight sets.[140] However, in the first round of the2022 Cincinnati Masters, Murray won in three tight sets.
Wawrinka andRafael Nadal have played 20 times with Wawrinka trailing 3–17 against Nadal. Although this rivalry has less significance than rivalries with the other members of the Big Four, the pair have met in several prestigious tournaments. The rivalry saw Nadal winning the first 12 encounters, all in straight sets, including 2 finals, one of which was a Masters 1000 final at Madrid in 2013. However, since Wawrinka's breakthrough season in 2013 the head-to-head has been slightly more even (3–6) from 2014 onward.[141] Wawrinka scored his first win against Nadal in their first Grand Slam final, the2014 Australian Open final in 4 sets, denying Nadal's double career slam. It was also the only match between the pair not resulting in a straight set win for either player. Nadal won their second Grand Slam final, at the2017 French Open.[142]
In 2009, Wawrinka was living inSaint-Barthélemy, about 20 km (12 mi) north of Lausanne, with his wife Ilham Vuilloud, a Swiss television presenter and former fashion model.[143] They got married on 15 December 2009. Vuilloud gave birth to the couple's child, a girl named Alexia, on 12 February 2010. On 4 January 2011, Swiss media reported that Wawrinka separated from the family, less than one year after his daughter's birth.[144][145] The couple later reconciled, but on 19 April 2015 Wawrinka posted a statement on his Facebook page announcing their divorce.[146][147] The following day, Vuilloud strongly disputed Wawrinka's version of events.[148]
Wawrinka began datingWTA playerDonna Vekić[149] in 2015, their relationship becoming public knowledge afterNick Kyrgios taunted Wawrinka over it during a match at Montreal. Kyrgios was subsequently fined and given a suspended ban for his comments.[150] Wawrinka and Vekić were reported to have split in May 2019.[151]
Wawrinka appeared in the 2015 ESPN body issue, posing nude in athletic poses.[152]
Wawrinka has atattoo on his left forearm initalic script that quotes the Irish writerSamuel Beckett in English: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."[153][154] On his right rib, he has his daughter's name.[155]
As of June 2016, Wawrinka wearsYonex clothing and shoes and uses the Yonex VCORE 95D racquet with the Yonex Vcore Duel G paint job, formerly playing with a Yonex VCORE Tour 97 paint job. Wawrinka has been known to useBabolat's RPM Blast as his string of choice, opting to string his rackets at 27 kilograms in the main strings and 25 kilograms in the cross strings. Previously, he usedHead tennis racquets, first the Flexpoint Prestige MidPlus and Microgel Prestige Pro, and then the YouTek Prestige Pro MidPlus.[157] Wawrinka is also an ambassador for theTGV Lyria train service between France and Switzerland, with his photo appearing on the exterior of the high-speed trains.[158][159]
^Martin, John (25 June 2009)."Another Victory for Levine".Straight Sets. The New York Times.Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved26 June 2009.
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