Heading into his third round match at the French Open, 24 months had passed since Stan Wawrinka last reached the second week of a major tournament.
Within that period, the Swiss player had to battle problems on the court with a troublesome knee injury that required surgery. He ended up being out of action for six months between 2017-2018, and required an additional three months rehabilitation during the first half of last year. Suddenly one of the most formidable players outside of the Big Four on the tour found himself battling to gain entry into certain tournaments. Dropping to a low of 263rd in the world rankings last June.
It is for this reason why his latest run at Roland Garros is even sweeter than usual. On Saturday he took out former ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (10-8). A performance that saw him fire 14 aces and 60 winners past his rival.
“I feel fine. It’s been several weeks that tennistically and physically I feel I have progressed.” Wawrinka evaluated about his current fitness.
“I’m playing at a high level. Today I’m happy to have won an additional match and to move forward and be in the round of 16. Playing excellent tennis in Roland. If I look at my first three rounds, they were very solid, very good.”
The 34-year-old is certainly happy, but he is far from contempt. Known as a player who likes to shine on the biggest tennis stadiums around the world, Wawrinka is hungry for more. The former world No.3 has won 16 ATP titles during his career (including three at grand slam level) and has defeated a No.1 player at a major tournament four times.
“I’m happy to be in the round of 16, but it’s not the aim of my tournaments when I enter. I’m not satisfied with this. I want to have more, and I hope to be able to do that tomorrow.”
The determination is there, but how likely is it that Wawrinka can return back to his best on a consistent basis? His age isn’t too much of a factor if you look at others, such as Roger Federer (37) or Ivo Karlovic (40). Furthermore, he is the only player outside of the big four to win multiple grand slam titles over the past 15 years.
“It’s passion, working on the long term, not being too in a hurry, being patient, having a line of conduct, of working, and knowing that work will pay off.” Wawrinka commented about what it takes to become a grand slam winner.
“I feel better. I hope that I will be able to continue the year as I started. But again, for the time being, I have only won three matches here (at the French Open), and I’m not totally satisfied with that type of results. In my vision of the end of my career, I want more, and I hope I’ll be able to continue.”
The next challenge for the player commonly known as ‘Stan the man’ will be one of the rising stars of the game. Stefanos Tsitsipas is yet to play Wawrinka on the tour. The Greek secured his place in the last 16 with a win over Filip Krajinović. Becoming the first player from his country to reach the fourth round of the tournament since 1936.
“He’s an amazing player, Improved a lot. Winning a lot of matches.” Wawrinka said of Tsitsipas. “He has already beaten top players.”
“It’s gonna be a tough match, for sure. I never played him, but practice a few times with him. He’s actually, when you play against him, plays a different ball than when you watch him. When you watch him play, you think he’s playing a little bit slower than what he’s playing in real life.”
Wawrinka’s latest triumph over Dimitrov was his 500th win on the ATP Tour.