Stanislas Wawrinka
Miejsce zamieszkania : Saint-Barthélemy
Data i miejsce urodzenia : 28 marca 1985 Lozanna
Wzrost : 182 cm
Masa ciała : 79 kg
Gra praworęczna
Status profesjonalny 2002
Trener : Dimitri Zavialoff
Wygrane turnieje : 1
Najwyżej w rankingu 9 (9 czerwca 2008)
Australian Open 3R (2007, 2009)
Roland Garros 3R (2005)
Wimbledon 3R (2006)
US Open 4R (2007)
Od siebie dodam że Stanislas to bardzo bliski przyjaciel Marcosa Baghdatisa . Swego czasu opinia publiczna w Szwajcari zagrzmiała gdy Stan w dniu finału AO 06 bez ogródek przyznał że kibicował Marcosowi , wysylając cypryjczykowi bojowe sms-y w trakcie trwania finału :D .
W mojej opini to wybitnie utalentowany czlowiek , gdyby tylko zachciał lepiej nastroić sobie psychike ...
"Królewski mord w Monaco"
To jeden z tytułów szwajcarskiej prasy po tym, jak Stanislas Wawrinka wyeliminował z turnieju ATP w Monte Carlo byłego lidera światowego rankingu, swojego rodaka i deblowego partnera, który na igrzyskach w Pekinie sięgnął po złoty medal - Rogera Federera.
Wawrinka był w czasie całego meczu zdecydowanie lepszym zawodnikiem i w pełni zasłużył na zwycięstwo. Szwajcarska prasa była zaskoczona takim wynikiem, ale też uradowana, bo będzie o czym pisać.
"Gwieździsta godzina Wawrinki", "Mistrz olimpijski pokonał mistrza olimpijskiego", "Piękna premiera Wawrinki", "Federer dał zły sygnał", "Pierwsze zwycięstwo Wawrinki nad Federerem", "Wawrinka zaskoczył Federera", "Wawrinka pokonał Federera dziewięć lat po wyczynie Marca Rosseta" - tak szwajcarska prasa zareagowała na niespodziewany triumf "Stana".
onet.pl
No zagral mecz dobry. Ale bez jaj, nie robmy z niego jakiegos bohatera. Wyszedl by Monfils w formie, tez by go rozjechal. Praktycznie kazdy z pierwszej 20tki:D
A tak ogolnie to podoba mi sie bekhend Stasia:)
Szwajcarzy w formie, po Federerze za kilka miesięcy i Stan będzie szczęśliwym tatuśkiem :D Tako rzecze jego strona :
Stanislas Wawrinka is happy to announce that his concubine Ilham Vuilloud is pregnant. The baby is expected for february 2010.
Graty :)
No , no . Może się zgadali, że zapiszą swoje dzieci do jednej szkółki, czy coś.
Gratulacje Stan ;)
Lol2009 :D
Naturalnie gratulacje ;)
Wawrinka będzie miał synów bliźniaków:D :D będą dwa profesjonalne deble Szwajcarskie :D Siostry Federer oraz Bracia Wawrinka :D
Wawrinka to dla mnie nudny zawodnik który czasem błyśnie jakimś dużym pojedynczym zwycięstwem. 20 ATP to jego szcyt możliwości, do 10 raczej nie wejdzie
15 grudnia 2009 Stan Wawrinka zmienił stan cywilny, 2 zdjęcia ze ślubu:
szeva napisał:
Wawrinka to dla mnie nudny zawodnik który czasem błyśnie jakimś dużym pojedynczym zwycięstwem. 20 ATP to jego szcyt możliwości, do 10 raczej nie wejdzie
W najblizszy czasie sie na to nie zanosi, ale nie tak znowu dawno w Top 10 byl, najwyzej chyba na 8 miejscu nawet.
Mógłby Staszek ogolić facjatę przynajmniej na własny ślub. :D
Nie jestem jakimś włosofobem ale według mnie to niechlujne co najmniej.
Bizon napisał:
W najblizszym czasie sie na to nie zanosi, ale nie tak znowu dawno w Top 10 byl, najwyzej chyba na 8 miejscu nawet.
9 czerwca 2008 roku był na 9 miejscu.
The Last Time... With Stan Wawrinka
Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka reveals to DEUCE the last time...
I got out my (2008 Beijing doubles) Olympic gold medal to look at it?
Late last year when I was rearranging the office in my apartment I saw it. I don't look at it so much these days, maybe only when friends come around and they ask to see it. Obviously soon after I won the gold medal I looked at it a lot more.
I queued up to buy concert tickets?
It wasn't a concert, as such, but for a comedy show in Geneva last year.
I missed a flight?
Never... I've never missed a flight in my entire life, but I hope I haven't jinxed myself now! Maybe it's being Swiss, but I'm always on time for flights!
I flew economy class?
I fly economy inside Europe all the time – the flights are so short it doesn't make too much difference if you're in economy or business. But for long haul flights I fly business – I don't think I've ever flown to Australia in economy!
"I've never missed a flight in my entire life, but I hope I haven't jinxed myself now!"
I cooked for myself or others?
Very recently, just before I went on this current trip (Middle East/India/Australia). I love to cook when I'm at home – my wife and I share the cooking duties and we have a number of cookbooks that we try out new things from. I really enjoy cooking.
I met a childhood idol?
I don't have a lot of idols really, but the last person I met that I admire and respect was (footballer) Thierry Henry. It was in Rome last year and he came to see Roger (Federer), since they're both associated with Gillette. Roger and I were practising and he came to watch that, then we both had a chat with him in the player lounge, which was great.
I shared a hotel room with another player?
I would imagine it would've been in juniors, maybe under 16s.
I had to pay to hire a tennis court?
Very recently, when I was training in Switzerland in December I paid for my court all the time. No special privileges!
I dressed formally for a dinner?
One week ago in Abu Dhabi for an exhibition event I was playing; there was a cocktail party where all the players got dressed up.
I slipped on my diet?
Oh, for sure during Christmas I had a little bit too much to eat and drank a little too much wine, but I guess everyone does that too!
I forgot a family member or close friend's birthday?
Last year I forgot the birthday of a very good friend, but I remembered the next day and got in touch with him, so it wasn't too bad – it wasn't like I remembered weeks later, thankfully!
Being recognised helped me?
I can't think of anything specific but for sure in Switzerland, since I got to the Top 10 and won the gold medal in Beijing, I get recognised more. It maybe helps with getting a nice table at a restaurant when it's busy.
http://www.24heures.ch/actu/suisse/appe … 2010-02-13
Staszek został Ojcem! Urodziła mu się córeczka. Gratulacje. ;)
#1 Umag 2006
R32 Alberto Martin (ESP) 7-6(3), 6-4
R16 Marin Cilic (CRO) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Q Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
S Filippo Volandri (ITA) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
W Novak Djokovic (SRB) 6-6(1) RET
#2 Casablanca 2010
R32 BYE
R16 Martin Klizan (SVK) 6-4, 0-6, 6-4
Q Reda El Amrani (MAR) 6-3, 6-1
S Potito Starace (ITA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
W Viktor Hanescu (ROU) 6-2, 6-3
Marniutki ten dorobek Stasiu, gratuluję tytułu i liczę na kolejne skalpy w najbliższym czasie. ;)
Ale za to kogo musial pokonac zeby zdobyc Umag. Cilic, Del Potro, no i Djokovic ktory skreczowal w tie breaku :lol:
RG 2010 - wywiad z Wawrinką po zwycięstwie w 1 rundzie
Q. Can you tell us about your match? And then also, can you tell us what is different in a Grand Slam first round compared to a normal tournament?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: First of all, I would like to say I'm very happy with the way the match went. It was the ideal match to walk into the tournament. I really felt well right from the beginning, and I could choke him immediately with the way I played.
Winning so easily against Hajek, who's a good player, is very rewarding. A perfect beginning.
And regarding the first round, people say that the first rounds in a Grand Slam are a different experience. First of all, it's a Grand Slam tournament, so obviously you always want to play well. It's five set type of match. As I have shown in the last few years, some matches are more difficult than others.
But today everything went perfectly. There are other Grand Slam tournaments where I had more trouble getting into the match.
Q. Are you already looking up in the draw? Maybe round of 16 against Rog or something else? Are you looking at the draw?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I looked at the draw when it came out. I saw the top seeds, and I looked at maybe who I could play.
But once you're in the tournament, you take one match at a time. Sometimes you can be surprised. You can lose against a player against whom you would have wanted to win. So I really to have focus on my matches.
And, again, today I'm through the first round. I have to look who I'm going to play in the second round. Should be Andreas Beck. He's beating Lorenzi right now.
Q. You played very well obviously, but did you notice something in your opponent? Was he handicapped or anything?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I don't think so. I don't know if he said anything to that effect. I think I really choked him. I did everything I could to prevent him playing at a higher level.
At the end of the match he did tell me I was too strong for him. So I don't think he was injured or anything.
Q. You know Beck?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yes, I do. I've played him once on clay in Monte Carlo last year in quarterfinals.
Q. In the second set, you seemed to be going back to the baseline. It was very hot. What was it? Too hot or everything had gone too well in the first set and you couldn't stay at that level all through three sets?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: No, I think he simply pushed me back to the baseline. He started looking around at what was happening, and I immediately managed to impose my shots.
He wasn't playing very fast at the beginning and he felt he had no options, so he tried something else in the second set: take the balls earlier and strike harder. That pushed me back to the baseline a bit.
But playing all through the match like the first set would have been difficult. I would have had to remain at a level of focus that would have been extreme.
Today I realized I could win in three sets by playing well, but not in a too difficult way.
Q. If I look at the possible match against Monfils, do you know him well? Do you ever play with him? Train with him?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yes. We get on well. We train together when he comes to Switzerland. We spend time together outside of the courts during the tournaments.
So quite clearly he is one player that I really like to spend time with during the tournament.
Q. I think Monfils, in the interview I read, said that there would be a difficult match against you if you were ever to come up against each other.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yes, of course. I'm the kind of player that some people don't want to play against, especially in the first round.
But if I were to play against Monfils it would be a big match. I still have to win one; he has to win two. He plays well here and is very motivated.
So, yes, if we were to play together, it would be a very explosive kind of match.
RG 2010 - wywiad z Wawrinką po zwycięstwie w 3 rundzie
Q. I haven't had a chance to look. Who do you play next?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Playing Roger.
Q. You obviously saw the draw at the beginning and knew this was a possibility. What are your thoughts about it?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, for sure to play Roger, he's the best player in the world, so it's never easy to play against him. Actually, I lost easy in Madrid on clay court, but was really fast.
But I'm very happy to pass the third round in French Open for the first time. To play Roger, it's always nice; it's always a challenge. It's gonna be the first match we play together in five sets. It can be something different. We'll see.
Q. How can you describe what he has meant to your career?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: When I was young and I arrive on the tour, he was already top 10. We practice a lot together and we talk a lot together.
Actually, because of him, I have a gold medal in my house, so I'm very happy for that.
Q. Is it mixed emotions playing against him then or is it all business or how would you describe it?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: It's never easy because he's really a good friend. We know each other so well, so it's never easy to play him, especially here in French Open.
But then when you go on court you try to do your job, and you see after that.
Q. You consider clay your best surface; is that right?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, I think the last two years I improve a lot my game on each surface. I can play very well in every tournament, but I have my best result on clay court. I think I'm playing pretty well.
Q. So you feel like it's all coming together here? How would you describe the way you're playing here?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I won a lot of match this year on clay court, and I won my second tournament in Casablanca. I play well all the season, so I was here with a lot of confidence. I won the first three match in three sets, so it's very good for me.
Q. Can you tell me about the match with Fognini. It was easier than expected, or were you in trouble when in the first set you were a little bit behind, one or two breakpoints? In the second set you were down 3 1.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: He's a good player. He's very talented, but I think he he play a very tough match against Monfils in two days, so it was not easy for him to come back today and to play five sets against me.
I was not playing my best tennis, but at the end I won in three sets. That's the most important for me.
Q. What do you think is his potential? Do you see him doing better than he's doing? He's only 92 in the world or something.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, but he's good. I think he needs to be focused on tennis. I don't know how he's practicing, but when you see him playing against Monfils he was playing really, really well.
One day after, he's not playing so good. I think he's not focus enough on the tennis. But that's just my opinion.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.
Q. What will be the key on Sunday considering that clay here is not as fast as Madrid? Second question: What memories do you have of this medal in Beijing?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Well, the key is quite clear: I have to play a very good match. I have to be 100% there at the best of my condition. It's the only way to win.
Regarding Beijing, it's probably the best memory of my life. My first Olympic Games. I had two splendid days both in the Village and on the court, and going home with a gold medal in the doubles, which is something that's, you know, very special.
Tennis is such an individual sport that you can hardly ever share something with somebody. And being able to share this victory with Roger on the courts was beautiful.
Q. Considering the duel for Sunday, there is a very special person, Severin Luthi, he's Roger's coach and he was your captain in the Davis Cup. You've had some great moments with him in Spain. How do you consider his position, because he knows you really well?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Well, it's not easy for him since he coaches the Swiss No. 1 player and he's also the captain in the Davis Cup. He knows this could have happened. It's part of his job. It's not very easy for him, but he's only doing his job.
Now, I don't think it will be a disadvantage. We've known each other for so long with Rog. We know each other so well. I don't think it's going to make any difference, the fact that his coach knows me so well.
We've trained together so many times in the last few years, and we know each other so well. We know each other by heart, practically.
Q. When you heard the name Roger Federer for the first time, do you remember that occasion? And when you met him for the first time as well?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: The first time I heard his name I don't remember, but the first time I met him in Bienne. I was 16, and I went to play with him on clay at the time. He was trained by Peter Carter.
Q. What do you remember from this particular occasion?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: It was very good training session. We played for two hours. It was very tough. I was very nervous to begin with, but I had a lot of fun.
Q. Have you come to grips with the fact that you might be writing history next Sunday?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Why?
Q. Well, if you win. Until 2004, he never lost in a Grand Slam tournament before the semifinal.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: You know, all series come to an end. Sooner or later in his career he will lose before the semifinals.
But writing history, that is not my main objective.
Q. First time you're in the round of 16. It's rather positive that you're going to play Roger, or do you think it's a pity because you're in great shape and maybe you deserved a different draw?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Well, we'll know on Sunday night. Obviously when I had a look at the draw, that would not have been my favorite opponent. There is him and Nadal. I might have liked to play another match.
But it's part of the tournament. It's part of a Grand Slam tournament. As soon as I saw the draw, I focused on my game to go deeper. It's the first time I reached the round of 16, and I hope I'm going to play a good match on Sunday.
Q. We've been watching you training in the last few days, and today we felt you were very relaxed, serene on the courts. Can you confirm?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I've been here for two week now. Everything is going really well. I arrived here with a lot of confidence, and I've been winning many matches recently. I felt ready, and I had a lot of the confidence.
But then I had to play the matches. I've done so so far. I managed fairly well. I did not have any huge opponents, but I won every time in three sets. I didn't use too much energy; playing good tennis.
So I hope I'm gonna continue on the same pattern. I'm gonna do my best on Sunday and see what happens.
Q. The fact that your wife and daughter are here with you, does it help you when you go home to the hotel?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yes, of course. It was important that they should be here with me, my wife and my daughter. It's always better when they accompany me. I prefer that.
Especially I can spend some time with my daughter, because I travel a lot. I'm away a lot, so to be here for two weeks with her was very important.
Q. Are you taking any action to prevent paparazzi from taking pictures of you and your daughter?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I don't have that kind of issue, really.
Q. The only way for journalists to stop telling you about Roger Federer would be for you to defeat him.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Well, I defeated him last year in Monte Carlo, and people kept talking about it. He's the greatest player ever.
And playing tennis at a fairly good level in the same country means that we play together Davis Cup, Olympic Games. He's like me. He's very discreet, and people keep asking me questions about him. It's part of my job.
Q. Is it difficult to be compared with Roger Federer?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I think I set the record straight last year. I said I would never answer questions about him and his private life.
Now, it's obvious today you're asking questions about him because he's going to be my next opponent. Otherwise, I haven't had problems with that recently.
Q. Who's the tennis player that you like to watch best?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: David Nalbandian and James Blake.
Stanislaw Warinka zakończył współpracę ze swoim trenerem, Dimitim Zavialoffem.
źródło:
http://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=164575
Peter Lundgren trenerem Stanislasa Wawrinki.
Swedish coach Peter Lundgren, the star has a new mission:
Help Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka back to top 10.
- I'm terribly motivated, "says 45-year-old to Sportbladet.
Peter Lundgren - who among other things, has coached world ones Roger Federer, Marat Safin and Marcelo Rios - was contacted by Stanislas Wawrinka for a couple weeks ago and did not require further consideration before he accepted the job training.
- When I asked what he needed help, he replied that he would return to the top 10. It is such a thing you want to hear as a coach. He is justified and when it becomes terribly fun to work, "says Peter Lundgren.
Has collapsed
Stanislas Wawrinka was världsnia 2008, but has now fallen to 26th-place ranking. The negative trend was 25-year-old coach to change for the first time in his career. Since the age of eight, he has been trained by Dimitri Zavalioff.
The contract with Peter Lundgren case, to begin with, years out.
- He needs to hear a new voice and new ideas. I'll try to get "Stan" to become more aggressive in his game, "said Lundgren.
Tomorrow he goes to Lausanne to launch cooperation with Wawrinka, who has two ATP titles and an Olympic gold in doubles on the merit list. The team also includes fitness coach Pierre Paganini, Lundgren has worked with over the years with Roger Federer.
- This will be fun. It feels like I'm coming back to the roots, "said Peter Lundgren, who was employed by the Swiss tennis association before he was Roger Federer's personal trainer.
"Do not fight"
Lundgren worked previously with Grigor Dimitrov, who was called "the new Federer" but has not lived up to expectations.
- He fought not at the matches and I was not very motivated at the end. I wanted to see more hunger. "Stan" to return to the top 10 and there are things I should do. I will do everything for him to do that, "said Peter Lundgren.
Źródło (szwedzki):
http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/t … 7467079.ab
Swede Lundgren to coach Swiss Wawrinka
Swiss Stan Wawrinka has taken a page from good friend Roger Federer's former playbook, and is set to work with Swede Peter Lundgren as his coach.
Lundgren was mentor to the young Roger Federer, splitting with the Swiss in 2003 shortly after guiding his charge to victory in the ATP year-end championships in Houston.
In the interim, Federer has been heading his own private tennis brain trust, with Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi a key coaching figure. Lundgren has been through a variety of positions, including coaching Marat Safin and working for a time with the British Davis Cup team.
Wawrinka, who cracked the ranking Top 10 in 2008, now stands 26th after a first-round Wimbledon exit.
Swedish media quoted Lundgren as saying he's happy with the new collaboration: "When I asked what he wanted help with, he said he wants to return to the Top 10. It's what you want to hear as a coach. I'm going to try to get Stan to become more aggressive."
Lundgren's last coaching job was with young Bulgarian Grigor Dmitrov, while Wawrinka split with his longtime coach after the French Open, where he was beaten by Federer in the fourth round.
US Open 2010 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 1 rundzie
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. How are you doing?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I'm very happy with my match today. I think it was a very good start for me. I'm feeling okay with my game and with the tournament, so I'm very happy.
Q. What did you make of the weather? Did it affect your game at all?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: No, I think it was okay actually. I'm feeling pretty okay with the hot, so for me it was really okay today. I was happy to play in three sets. It's always better when it's so hot, but for me it was good.
US Open, postać 7. dnia: Stanislas Wawrinka
Wybór postaci dnia siódmego US Open był oczywisty. To druga rakieta Szwajcarii Stanislas Wawrinka (ATP 27), który wyrzucił za burtę jednego z faworytów do końcowego triumfu, a swojego dobrego przyjaciela (obaj są wielkimi miłośnikami gokartów) Andy'ego Murray'a (ATP 4).
Ten rok układa się Wawrince wspaniale. Na rozpoczęcie sezonu w Chennai osiągnął siódmy w karierze finał w ATP World Tour. 12 lutego na świat przyszła jego córka Alexia. A na początku kwietnia w Casablance zdobył drugi w karierze tytuł (pierwszy triumf święcił w sierpniu 2006 roku w Umag).
Po wyeliminowaniu nadziei brytyjskiego tenisa na triumf w Wielkim Szlemie Szwajcar jest na ustach całego tenisowego świata. John McEnroe swego czasu powiedział, że Wawrinka posiada jeden z najpotężniejszych bekhendów, jaki kiedykolwiek widział i uważa go za "najlepszy jednoręczny bekhend w dzisiejszym tenisie
."
Największym sukcesem Wawrinki pozostaje złoty medal olimpijski wywalczony w 2008 roku w Pekinie w grze
podwójnej w parze z Rogerem Federerem. Jeśli chodzi o singiel to jeden z ośmiu finałów osiągnął w imprezie rangi Masters 1000. Stało się to przed dwoma laty w Rzymie, gdzie
w meczu o tytuł przegrał z Novakiem Đokoviciem. Wtedy też zadebiutował w czołowej 10 rankingu
ATP.
Wawrinka juniorską karierę rozpoczął w wieku 14 lat i w 2003 roku wygrał Roland Garros. Jako zawodowiec zadebiutował w 2002 roku mając 17 lat
. Pokonując Murray'a po raz szósty, a po raz trzeci w US Open osiągnął 1/8 finału Wielkiego Szlema. Najwyżej w rankingu ATP plasował się na dziewiątym miejscu (czerwiec 2008).
US Open 2010 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 3 rundzie
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. What was the problem with your leg? Is your leg okay?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Looks okay, but I will check after with the physio and the doctor. I got some little pain in the beginning of the second set. Looks okay, but I will check later and tomorrow again.
Q. Andy said he thought that you served better, and that was a big key. Can you talk about your serve. Also emotionally it's a huge win for you obviously.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, I think the serve was one of the key of the match, for sure. I served pretty well. Beginning of the second set was not really good, but then I think that help me a lot to get some free points. It's always important against that kind of player.
But, no, I think all my game was pretty good. One of my best match, for sure. I was very aggressive. I was doing everything really good. So I'm very happy.
Q. Did you think about the Wimbledon match or the match here? Did you learn anything from them?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I always think a little bit, but I was trying to stay focused and to really think about my game and what I need to do.
I think at the end of the first set I was playing a little bit too defensive. That's what I start to change in the second and third and fourth sets, to stay aggressive, even if he's coming, even if he's putting a lot of pressure.
Q. Pretty good atmosphere out there with the crowd?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, for sure. I love that court. It's amazing, for sure. When it's full, when you finish like we did, late, with a very good match, so it's for sure, one of my best match with the crowd.
Q. You're bigger news in Switzerland than any other tennis player right now.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: For sure not. (Smiling.)
Q. He's a very quick guy, a hard guy to dropshot. You did at the end. What was it like to try to move him around? He gets to so many balls.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, but I have the feeling he was a little bit injury. He was not feeling okay. So I was trying to stay aggressive and to make him run a lot, and I think I did pretty well.
So, yeah, then you try some shots, some good shots. You make what you feel, and you just play for the win.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about Sam Querrey. You had a fantastic match against him in Indian Wells. What sort of match do you expect?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, it was a crazy match again, but he's a very good player. I think he improve a lot the last two years. He's a strong player. Big serve, big backhand. Is never easy to play him.
If I can keep the same level, the serve for sure will be important for him, and to stay aggressive because he don't like to play on the defense and to be under pressure.
US Open 2010 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 4 rundzie
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. After losing the fourth set, how did you get the momentum back in the fifth? How do you do that?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Just trying to fight on every point. I knew he can be tired when you get to a long match. I was just focused on my game, especially with the serve, because I was not really happy with my serve. Didn't help me so much. Yeah, just trying to stay aggressive and keep staying on the match.
Q. A lot of unforced errors out there today. How much would you attribute to the windy conditions? They say it was one of the windiest conditions ever played in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, for sure it was really windy. Never easy to play that kind of match when it's windy, especially against Sam. He's a good player, and I know even if I make a lot of errors, I know I need to attack him and be very, very aggressive.
Q. Reflect on how you feel you played today.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I play a good match. I think my serve was not really good today, but the rest was quite okay. I try to adapt. With the condition, with the wind, was not easy. But, yeah, I think I play a very good match.
Q. When you get to a quarterfinal of a Grand Slam, that's a big accomplishment for you. Can you comment on what that means to you.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, it's the first time for me, so for sure I am very happy with that. It's something very important, and I knew before the match it's gonna be tough, but I was really focused on the match, to stay with him, to stay with my game, and to try to win that match.
Q. In the fifth set you're obviously exhausted. Is it easier or harder to concentrate knowing there's a finish line there?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: All depends, but today was maybe more easy for me than for him. But I knew the beginning of the fifth set was really important to keep my serve, because he was still serving very good and was putting me a lot of pressure. But then it change a little bit. He was really tired. It was not easy for him to stay in the match.
Q. Did you feel like you just were physically fitter at the end?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yes. Yes, I think that. The last four games he was really tired, and was really difficult for him to stay with his game. He change his game because he was tired.
Q. There are two guys from Switzerland in the quarterfinals and no Americans. What does that say about tennis in Switzerland and the U.S.?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: No, that's good. (Laughter.) No, but Roger, he's always in quarterfinals since many years, so that's not something different. But for me, it's my first time, so it's something, yeah, important for my career.
Q. Just giving that question a little bit of a different twist, in the past generation of course there was Rosset who was a fine player, but not at the very top. He was a fine player and very good, but not a dominant player. Then of course on the women's side Martina got five Slams, 209 weeks at No. 1. Roger and now yourself making a push. Is there anything in the Swiss culture as a whole that translates in any way to the tennis courts?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Difficult to say something. I think we are just lucky because we have the two we have the best player in the world since ever, Roger, and we used to have Martina Hingis was the youngest No. 1 in the world. That's something happen to Switzerland. But I don't think that's mean because we have some good coach or some good stronger federation, because we don't have a lot of player. We just have some good player every generation.
Q. You were aware that Querrey was the last American male in the tournament. Do you think that excited the crowd a little bit? Did that give you a little extra motivation?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: No, yeah, I think for sure the crowd was hoping that he can stay in the tournament. But if you watch the match, they were very fair. For me it was great to play that kind of match with that crowd.
Q. Mikhail next. Talk about your upcoming match.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Youzhny?
Q. Yeah, Youzhny.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, he's a tough player. He's really strong player from the baseline. He have a great backhand. We already play sometimes together. I think we always have a tough match. But it's gonna be difficult for me. I will see how I'm gonna be with my leg and how I can rest for Thursday, but I will be focused more on myself than him.
Q. How is your leg? Are you hampered by your leg today?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yes, I have some problems since Murray's match, and still today. I hope with the tape was quite okay, but I still have some pain. I will see with the doctor and the physio.
Q. Just a question about Nadal. You played him in Toronto not so long ago. Have you noticed any difference in his serving?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, I think he's serving a little bit better. He have a tougher start of the tournament here, but I think he's gonna play he's gonna be stronger every match.
Q. What is different about his serving?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: He practice a lot, I think. (Smiling.) No, he change a little bit. He change more the direction, and that's why it's always difficult to play him.
Q. Could you talk in general what it's like to play from the same country, from Roger, and the upsides and doubles partner and so forth? Are there any downsides? Are there any negatives to that?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, we can talk all the night about that. But, no, I already told so many times about my relation with Roger. We used to practice a lot together when I was younger and still now. He used to help me a lot when I arrive in the ATP Tour. For sure for me was something great to have him on the tour as a friend and someone, a player who is No. 1 to help me a little bit.
US Open 2010 - Wawrinka po raz 1 w ćwierćfinale Wielkiego Szlema
25-letni Szwajcar przegrał, ale dzięki takiemu obrotowi sprawy będzie mógł wreszcie wrócić do rodziny, która mocno za nim tęskni. Poniżej, wywiad w niemieckim blick z żoną Stana, która opowiada o pustce, jaką odczuwają (żona i malutka córeczka), gdy Stan zarabia na życie, grając na kortach całego świata. Wawrinka obecnie przebywa poza domem już od 6 tygodni.
http://www.blick.ch/sport/tennis/schon- … ind-156177
US Open 2010 - wywiad po porażce w ćwierćfinale
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. What did you learn out there on court today?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: A lot of things, but just after the match it's always difficult. But I think today Mikhail was playing very good. I tried my best. I tried to fight on all the match, but was too much.
Q. You got to this stage, and it was a rough road, Chela, Murray, Querrey. This was not an easy road for you. To get to your first Grand Slam quarterfinal I know the match is only over by an hour, hour and a half but are you able to look back and say you made tremendous strides in this tournament and feel some sense of contentment?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, for sure, for sure. If I go back, I'm very pleased the tournament. That's true, but like I said, just an hour after losing in five set match against Mikhail Youzhny in five set match, it's always difficult to find all the positive things.
Q. I know it's hard to say, as you just said. Is there a sense though that you played some tremendous tennis in this tournament and there's some contentment there?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, for sure. I know especially against Andy Murray was I think my best match, and I was playing really, really strong. For the rest of the season and for sure next year, it's gonna be, I hope, more tournaments with that level.
Q. How is your injury?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Ah, I will see later with the doctor. I hope it's not too bad, but I think it's gonna be fine.
Q. And the conditions out there? I mean, the wind just doesn't seem to be letting up here in Flushing. Was it as bad down there as it looked from the stands?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, it was really tough, but I think it's same for the both player. You need to play. When you go on court, doesn't matter the condition. You just need to win the match and try your best. But for sure was really difficult today.
Q. Do you have any immediate thoughts about your shot selection in the fifth set? Seems like there was that moment at 30 All, I think you were down 4 2, and you tried a dropshot; you missed it, but you ended up holding serve there. But, you know, there were a couple things after you smashed the racquet. You seemed to go for big first serves and had to subsequently hit second serves for missing them.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I don't remember everything, but...
Q. Any reaction? If you just look back at it abstractly the fifth set, anything you'd like to say?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Not really. I think I give everything today, and I try I try, for sure. I made some big mistake, but after four hours you're really tired. I was tired. So it's not always easy to think and to play the right dropshots or to play the good point and not to break the racquet. But, yeah, after the match, I just know that I try everything. I think he was just a little bit better today.
Stan can't explain the Swiss success story
It's tough for Stanislas Wawrinka to comprehend how tiny Switzerland has outpaced the Americans by placing two men into the quarterfinals of the US Open for the first time in the European nation's history.
Wawrinka did his part as he knocked out the last American man standing in Sam Querrey, coming through in five sets and four hours. The Swiss moved into the last eight for the first time in his Grand Slam career, joining Roger Federer.
With just 7.5 million people compared to the 300 million-strong US, the Swiss have played well above their level in recent tennis history.
"It's difficult to say something," said Wawrinka. "We are just lucky because we have the best player in the world since ever, Roger, and we used to have Martina Hingis was the youngest number one in the world.
"Something has happened in Switzerland. But I don't think that's because we have some good coaches or some a stronger federation. We don't have a lot of players. But we manage to have some good players every generation."
The Last Word: ATP No. 21, Stanislas Wawrinka
With Peter Lundgren in his corner,
Wawrinka seeks to play a more aggressive game.
Best of 2010
Andy Murray has a history of losses to offensive-minded hard-hitters at the Slams, and his latest shortcoming came against Wawrinka at the U.S. Open. Wait, Wawrinka? Yup. The Swiss came out of his shell and came out firing in a four-set win over the favored Scot, and would go on to reach the quarters.
Worst of 2010
There wasn’t much to fault Wawrinka for on tour. But in a Davis Cup World Group Play-off, Wawrinka faltered in Kazakhstan, losing his singles rubber to Mikhail Kukushkin (whom Wawrinka trounced at the U.S. Open weeks earlier) and his doubles match with Yves Allegro. The 5-0 whitewash banished Switzerland outside the World Group for 2011.
Year in Review
He’ll never make us forget about his more celebrated countryman, but Wawrinka has won fans of his own the last few years. He’s a threat on both fast and slow surfaces, and his mid-season hire of Peter Lundgren gives further reason for optimism. “When I asked what he wanted help with,” said Lundgren, “He said he wants to return to the Top 10. It's what you want to hear as a coach. I'm going to try to get Stan to become more aggressive.” At the U.S. Open, we saw the results. A full off-season with Lundgren, who has helped guide Marcelo Rios, Roger Federer and Marat Safin in the past, should bear more fruit.
See for Yourself
Wawrinka’s no-look backhand was SportsCenter-worthy, but his entire body of work against Murray was even impressive:
The Last Word
Of the players in the year-end Top 25, Wawrinka is one I feel quite confident in improving his ranking next season. He had a brief spell in the Top 10 in 2008, and while repeating that may be a tough ask, he should only benefit from the tutelage of Lundgren and his semi-breakthrough at Flushing Meadows.
2010 w liczbach
Ranking: 21
Turnieje: 1 (Casablanca)
Finały: 1 (Chennai)
Mecze: 36-19
Zarobki: $862,678
http://www.blick.ch/sport/tennis/eheglu … ert-163861
Z powyższego (ponoć) wynika, że Stan i jego małżonka zdecydowali się na separację i to po nieco ponad rocznym związku (ślub odbył się 15.12.2009). Całkiem niedawno (w lutym 2010) urodziła im się córka. Fatalny news. :/
Wawrinka shock as player leaves family for tennis
Stanislas Wawrinka has left his family to concentrate on his tennis, with the walkout making huge tabloid news in Switzerland.
In contrast to the calm stability - and solid marriage - of compatriot Roger Federer, Swiss Stan has left many puzzled by his move from the family home, made last September but only revealed in the tabloid press in the New Year.
Since the dramatic walkout, the one-time No. 8 won six of ten matches to end 2010 and began 2011 this week with a first-round win in Chennai. "I have separation from my wife Ilham Vuilloud. We want our role as parents (of daughter Alexia) to continue. We ask the press, our privacy be respected at this difficult time," the Wawrinka management said in a statement.
The 25-year-old married former television presenter Ilham, 36, in December, 2009, with their child born last February. "Stan returned on September 20 after the Davis Cup in Kazakhstan and told me he had new priorities. He packed his bags and moved into a hotel," Wawrinka's wife told tabloid the Blick. The split came only a few months after the player parted with his longtime coach and childhood friend Dimitri Zavialoff, hiring Swiss Peter Lundgren, former mentor to Federer.
Media report that Wawrinka feels he has only five more years to make an impact in tennis and is cutting out family distractions. "There would have been another solution, if he had spoken to me about," Ilham told Blick. Wawrinka appears determined to keep a lid on his personal problems, Tweeting: "I feel great and look forward to the season."
Wawrinka wins Chennai for third career title
Stanislas Wawrinka beats Xavier Malisse in the Chennai final on Sunday evening. Wawrinka wins the third ATP title of his career.
Stanislas Wawrinka held off Xavier Malisse 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to win the Aircel Chennai Open title on Sunday. Wawrinka struck five aces without double-faulting and broke serve four times over two hours and 14 minutes of play.
The opening game of the match lasted more than 10 minutes before Malisse seized an immediate break for a 1-0 lead. He converted his fourth chance and consolidate the advantage en route to 4-1. Wawrinka, however, began to find the range with his one-handed backhand and he soon broke back for 3-4. The 21st-ranked Swiss kept up the momentum and capitalized on his third set point at 6-5 for set-clinching break.
Despite squandering his early lead, Malisse also got off to a fast start in the second. Chennai's No. 7 seed broke for 2-1 as he picked up his aggressiveness and started moving forward. This time he was not about to give back the break. Malisse won all 13 of his first-serve points and dropped only two service points in total throughout the second frame of play.
Just as Malisse turned the tide after losing set one, Wawrinka did the same following the second. The No. 3 seed held easily for 1-0 and then broke right away for a commanding 2-0 lead. Wawrinka held the rest of the way and added another break at 4-1 for good measure. He converted his second match point on serve at 5-1 with a crushing overhead.
Wawrinka captured his third career title, improving his record in ATP finals to 3-6. He lost last year's Chennai title match to Marin Cilic. Malisse, the 2007 Chennai champion, now owns a finals record of 3-9.
#3) Chennai (Madras) 2011
R32: Bopanna 6-4 6-4
R16: [Q] D Goffin 7-6(3) 7-6(3)
QF: [8] R Haase 3-6 6-3 6-3
SF: T Berdych 6-4 6-1
F: [7] X Malisse 7-5 4-6 6-1
Heavy Hitting
The energy level was low inside Rod Laver Arena when Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils walked on court at 7:00 P.M. Friday night. The men aren’t used to this kind of thing. Tonight they did what the women usually have to do: Open the evening festivities before a quiet house that was slowly filling up with stone cold sober office workers. Unfortunately, these two produced their best tennis in the first set, which ended right around the time when the last stragglers were making their way to their seats.
Laver, or in Aussie Open know-it-all speak, RLA, has been cursed during the day sessions with the most lackluster line-up of matches I’ve ever seen in one arena. Clijsters and Nadal have allegedly played there, though I’ve seen exactly one point of Rafa’s, and Clijsters’ most memorable moment came when she called out on-court interviewer Todd Woodbridge for speculating that she was pregnant—we're obviously scrounging for entertainment in the big stadium. Yesterday, Xavier Malisse also allegedly played tennis there against Roger Federer. That didn't last long either, but who would have wanted it to continue?
The nights, on the other hand, have been dynamite. Hewitt-Nalbandian, Federer-Simon, even stretches of Baghdatis-Del Potro have all risen to the Grand Slam occasion. And it looked, for a brief time, that Wawrinka-Monfils was going to follow. Everyone I talked to was predicting a marathon, and it seemed they were going to be right. The rallies were long, and neither man hustles from one point to the next—they’re both inveterate ball-inspectors. (Did Rod Laver himself feel the need to look at all four balls before choosing the one with a millimeter’s less fuzz?)
Monfils went through a typical set of seemingly random strategic surprises. He tried baby slice backhands on one point. Then he went to high topspin forehands on the next. It was unclear how the two were connected. Meanwhile, Wawrinka kept hammering his heavy forehands and backhands—no frills needed. Whatever tactics Monfils tried, he couldn’t punch a hole in his opponent. While the set went to a tiebreaker, and the breaker was tight through eight points, I had never had the feeling that Wawrinka was going to lose it.
The bad little Swiss brother has been playing some ball of late. He had his first surge after hooking up with Good Brother’s former coach, Peter Lundgren, last year. Wawrinka registered a rare Grand Slam upset for him when he beat Andy Murray at Flushing, before losing a match he could have won in the quarters, to Mikhail Youzhny. This year Wawrinka has picked up on that form by winning in Chennai. While Monfils didn’t have his best stuff from the start, and he went even farther/further away after the first set, Wawrinka wasn’t going to be stopped. Lundgren has, like most coaches, urged his student to take it to his opponent. The idea suits Wawrinka. Not many guys have his weight of shot from both sides. He hit nearly 60 winners in three sets tonight against the very fleet Monfils (apparently he lost his "crasy game of fetch" this time). Wawrinka turned what had promised to be a struggle into a one-man clinic in baseline belting.
That sets up an intriguing match-up with Andy Roddick in the fourth round. Roddick won the only match they completed, in Davis Cup two years ago. But as Wawrinka pointed out in his post-match interview, the other two times they were scheduled to face off, Roddick had to default—I wasn’t sure whether Wawrinka was calling Roddick out, or saying he hopes it happens again (if he’s really going to go bad, wrestling-style, it should be the former). For his part, Roddick was quick to acknowledge Wawrinka’s win in Chennai, and that he’s been playing great tennis in general.
It took a little good fortune for Roddick to be in this position in the first place. He was outplayed from the baseline for the better part of two sets by the smooth, skinny Robin Haase of the Netherlands. Roddick, the experienced and pragmatic competitor, made it to a second-set tiebreaker on his usual diet of aces and grind-it-out baseline ball. He was waiting for the world’s No. 65 to come down to earth, and he got his wish just in time. At 2-3 in the tiebreaker, Haase double-faulted. At 2-5, he pulled a forehand wide. It may have been his worst error of a very clean match up to that point; but that’s when they tend to happen. Still, there were moments when Haase, who hits with an easy, watchable power, had Roddick bamboozled.
On Sunday we’ll see if Roddick’s bomb serve and baseline fortress can hold up against the Wawrinka ground-stroke onslaught. Before this fall, the pick would have been Roddick. In the long run, he's always been a reliable performer, while Wawrinka has had trouble with consistency. Plus, his forehand isn’t a terminating, Nadal-Federer-esque weapon. The upside for the Swiss is that it used to go off a lot more than it has been lately.
The fourth round is set to begin. A national holiday, Australia Day, is around the corner. Fireworks—rockets, missiles, bombs, even a Howizter or two—would be appropriate.
AO 2011 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 3 rundzie
Q. Why do you think there is such a European dominance in the main draw?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I have no idea. Sorry.
I have no idea why.
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new … 03563.html
:D
Krótko,zwięźle i na temat.
Bad Little Swiss Brother
Stan Wawrinka has . . . swagger? We knew about the heavy snap backhand, and we’d heard more than enough of that incomprehensible wail of celebration that he emits when something good happens. But tonight the already bad little Swiss brother went one step further and got in Andy Roddick’s face. And it worked.
Not that Wawrinka really needed to intimidate anyone. We came into this tournament talking about the stellar form of good brother Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and they’re still doing fine. But the guy who’s playing the stellar tennis now, who’s hitting the cover off the ball, is the No. 19 seed. Wawrinka backed up his convincing straight-setter over Gael Monfils with an even more impressive performance against Roddick.
With Roddick serving at 3-4 in the first set and both players at net, Wawrinka hit a reflex volley winner. He stood and did his wail in Roddick’s direction; Roddick went, roughly, pffft. It appeared that it had lit a spark, because Roddick came back and hit his hardest forehand of the match for a winner to save a break point. But really it had only sparked Stan. He hung in and eventually broke with a perfect down the line backhand pass. The air seemed to go out of Roddick.
Afterward, Andy said he couldn’t get much penetration with his shots because of the slow courts and conditions. He couldn’t push Wawrinka. But of course Wawrinka had no trouble pushing him. By the middle of the second set, after 16 games, Wawrinka had hit 11 winners on his backhand side; Roddick had three on both sides combined.
Wawrinka is moving better and serving bigger. He finished more than double Roddick’s ace count. The times when Roddick did come forward, the Swiss had all kinds of answers at his disposal. He sent a backhand down the line with so much pace that it landed four feet from the sideline, yet Roddick was still nowhere near it. Twice Wawrinka scrambled from the baseline to the net and popped a perfect lob straight up and over Roddick’s head. After one of them he raised his hand in the air with his index finger high. Roddick was no longer going pfft. The bad little brother had his respect.
I was most impressed with the composure Wawrinka showed after he broke early in the third. This was an upset, so you had to think he would get tight; Roddick must have been counting on it to a degree. But even while he had to fend off a couple of break points, the end never seemed in doubt. Wawrinka controlled the set the way the best players do, the big boys whom he suddenly appears ready to join. To become one of them, you have to be able to close. Stan closed tonight.
Roddick has been one of the sport’s best closers for many years. Where does he stand now? This makes five straight upset losses at the majors in the last year. I watched some of this match on Australia’s Channel 7, with Roddick’s future Davis Cup captain Jim Courier in the booth. Courier had an interesting thought. He believed that if there was a forehand speed gun on the court, Roddick, who likes to check his serve speed, would see his low number and subsequently start to flatten out and rip his forehand more. Courier thinks that Roddick “believes he’s being aggressive when he’s really being conservative,” and that a forehand gun would awaken him to that.
Whether that specific scenario is true, Courier’s main point is that Roddick could, if he wanted to, hit his forehand bigger. It’s not a matter of ability or lack of ability, it’s a matter of mindset. We’ll see how these two guys work together beginning next month.
Next, Wawrinka gets Federer in the quarters. His Swiss elder and Olympic doubles partner has won their last four meetings; the most recent was a three-setter on an indoor court in Stockholm in October. Wawrinka has beaten him just once, on clay, two years ago. But by all appearances this is a new Stan. He has Federer’s old coach, Peter Lundgren, who once coached Marat Safin to a win over Federer at this tournament. If anything, Wawrinka has played the better tennis of the two so far in Melbourne. One factor could be timing, whether the match is played at night or during the day. So far Wawrinka’s heavy shots have been penetrating better in the slower night conditions than Federer’s. Chances are it will be under the lights.
The big battle for Wawrinka will be mental, of course. He has spent his career smiling politely when reporters and fans and maybe even his own mother have asked him questions about Federer. You can see him fighting to keep that smile on his face in press conferences; the Swiss press even smiles in commiseration with him when one more dopey foreign journalist brings up the RF word. Courier himself asked Wawrinka after the match tonight if Federer had "told" him how to return serve against Roddick. Wawrinka just smiled that same polite smile and ignored the question.
Will he be able to hit with the same abandon and accuracy? If he does, he can win. Will he swagger against Federer? Will he wail in his face? That could be dangerous. Federer, fellow Swiss, employs an amorphous bellow of his own at times—though he usually goes with the more civilized, Americanized "come on!" these days. Maybe Stan can take him back to his roots. I want to hear them yell back and forth at each other. No, wait, I don’t want to hear that at all. But I do want to see them play.
The Sizzling Swiss
by Pete Bodo
One thing that's become abundantly clear over the past few years is that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are tied together at the ankles with a very short rope. Everything either man does seems to have an impact on the other, if not in what we might call the real world, then inside that enormous bubble of their rivalry, where matters are not entirely in their own hands.
I mean that no matter how Roger or Rafa might feel about things - and I believe they'd just as soon both go about their business as if the other didn't exist, until such time as a showdown is mandated by the draw - other agents, voices, influences and compelling, aborning narratives conspire to link their names and destinies.
If Federer beats Tommy Robredo, it isn't long before Robredo is discarded, as if he were a mere prop, and the emerginig theme is how the victory will influence a potenial Rafa vs Roger confrontation. If Nadal crushes Bernard Tomic, ways are found to interpret the triumph as good or bad news for Federer, as if the glaring reality that it is very bad news for Tomic is a mere incidental.
Thus, the pendulum of the rivalry during this tournament has slowly swung back in Rafa's favor. Federer came in hot, Nadal's chances looked a little less certain. Would there be a Rafa Slam, like there had been Martina Slams and Serena Slams? Not if Federer had any say in it, and unease percolated freely in the Nadal camp once he lost in Doha and thereby had to postpone an appointment with Roger. But Gilles Simon and even Robredo, to whom Federer lost a set in the fourth round, have moved the pendulum back the other way; In matches with those men, Federer showed signs of the inconsistency that plagued him at times through the first nine months of 2010.
Rafa helped himself the other day, giving the pendulum a good shove with his comprehensive beatdown of Marin Cilic, who had won their only previous match under comparable, open-air, hard-court conditions in 2009 in Beijing. Inside the bubble, the headlines said: "Nadal Beats Tall Croatian, Now Playing Better Than Federer." No sense complaining about all this; it's part and parcel of rivalry. One reason neither of these guys needs to look over his shoulder is because two million designated back-watchers are doing it for each of them
Tonight, Federer gets his own Cilic, which is another way of saying that he has a chance to shape the narrative inside the bubble in a way that will improve his status. It's not that Stanislas Wawrinka, Federer's quarterfinal opponent, plays very much like Cilic. It's more that he represents a similar type of player, and is presently making a bid to join the group that has come to terms with the fact that it's going to take tennis played at that outer edge where power and consistency meet to take Federer down. The challenge for Federer is that Wawrinka, whom expert witness John McEnroe has said has the best backhand in all of men's tennis, has been making progress in that bid to join the Soderlings and Berdychs of this world. Just look at his photo on the tournament's official website and you'll know what I mean when I say the man has intentions. It's less head shot than mug shot.
Wawrinka is well-seasoned for this tussle. He's 25, and apparently ticked off that he's dilly-dallied and failed to make the most of his talent, which has been a realization of near-viral proportions in the ATP ranks these days. Seeded just 19, Wawrinka has had a pretty tough draw in terms of the general quality of the opposition, if not necessarily the Xs and Os of each matchup.
Wawrinka won his only previous main tour match (but in a tough three-setter) with his first-round opponent, Teymuraz Gabashvili. Next, he met and easily handled fast-rising prodigy, Grigor Dimitrov (it was their first meeting), after which he performed a clinical deconstruction of Gael Monfils - a guy who had beaten him twice (on hard courts) since the Manislas won their first battle way back in 2007. In the fourth round, Wawrinka swamped Andy Roddick, the no. 8 seed, to improve his record against Roddick to 3-1. Wawrinka hasn't lost a set yet, although that's likely to change. Still, the only player who's seeded lower than Wawrinka in the men's quarters is unseeded but electric Alexandr Dolgopolov. Wawrinka is seeded 12 places lower than the next lowest man, David Ferrer.
Against Roddick, Wawrinka's first serve percentage was an unimpressive 49, but he rained down 24 aces (a pretty good indicator of how deceptive statistics can be). Also against Roddick, Wawrinka powdered 67 winners in 29 (total) games, for a scary average of 2.9 winners per game. Federer hasn't come close to matching Wawrinka's single-match winners count, and hit more than 37 only in the two matches in which he lost at least one set. Federer has made 40 more unforced errors in the tournament, with 147. Overall Wawrinka is a net +82 in the winner to unforced error ration, while Federer is +27.
I cite those figures because they suggest that Wawrinka goes in with an edge if it's going to be a shoot-out, although it's true that Federer has had to play three more sets than his next opponent, which adds to both his winner and unforced error counts. That's why averages and ratios are the best way to look at certain quantifiable factors.
Barring a drop-off in Wawrinka's form, Federer is going to have to be mighty sharp for this one. If he goes toe to toe with Wawrinka from the baseline, he could be in for a long and perhaps very rough night. Federer leads the rivalry, 6-1, and it's significant that Wawrinka's lone win was on clay - the surface that, up to a point, aids players who aren't nimble because it allows them more time to draw a bead on the ball. This will be a great opportunity for Federer to make the most of his excellent mobility and the new aggressive elements in his game. If he can keep Wawrinka moving and under pressure he can neutralize some of those big groundstrokes. It isn't so much a matter of ending rallies as it is keeping Wawrinka from getting his feet planted during them.
Wawrinka will continue his interrupted quest for validation (he hit a career-high no. 9 in the early summer of 2008 but leveled off and began dropping to his present position of 19) with one enormous disadvantage that has nothing to do with forehands or backhands, and that's his Swiss nationality. It's a small nation with, traditionally, a dearth of heroes in major spectator sports. Federer has become the nation's sporting icon, and it's safe to say that Wawrinka was awful lucky to have Roger for a doubles partner when the pair won the gold at the Olympic games of 2008 in Beijing. Like it or not, resist it or not, there are karma issues at play in these situations, which is why I suspect that the match will be close but Federer will pull it out - or the Manislas will blow it - in the end.
I'll bet that even Rafa watches this one, even if he needn't bother to analyze what it will mean to him. Plenty of others will be all too happy to fill that role.
AO 2011 - wywiad po porażce w ćwierćfinale
Q. After your great win over Roddick, how disappointing was it today?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: For sure I'm disappointed to lose, but I think he was just playing too good. For sure, you look the match from outside you don't see how good he was playing. But he was always giving me some answer, and he was just being really too good for me.
Q. I know you practice with him and play against him, same and opposite side of the net. Do you see something a little different when you're playing a quarterfinal at a Grand Slam?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Than in practice?
Q. Yes. Does he lift a bit more?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: No, he's more focused on the match, for sure. It's always different when you're practicing or playing Grand Slam.
But I play him last year in Roland Garros, too. I play him a few times in match. So he's always focused on the match.
Q. On his performance today, can you see him going on to win the title here, or do you think Rafa might have an edge on him at the minute?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Roger is always the same: when he's coming to the tournament, he can always win the tournament. But you need to see. You can see the last few Grand Slam, it's not always easy because Rafa is playing good, even Djokovic, Berdych, all the other player.
But for sure he can always win all the tournament.
Q. Do you have a hope yourself that one day you can pick up the Davis Cup trophy with Roger playing there?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I'm not thinking about that, no, because last year I didn't play. And we're not in the World Group.
That's something I want to really play this year, to come back to the World Group. But I will wait until we need to decide to play Davis Cup. We'll wait and see. I don't care.
Q. How long have you been carrying your Homer Simpson around the world with you?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: It's a joke with a friend from the beginning of the year in Chennai. I'm doing some picture for Twitter, and all the fan are asking about some more picture. So we'll see how it's going to be this year.
Q. Roger played some incredible shots today. Do you get surprised by some of the shots he plays on court?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Not really. I know him. Everybody know him since some time. He world No. 1; he won a lot of Grand Slam. So we know how he can play. And today he was playing really good.
Q. How hard is it to play someone that you have a good friendship with? Do you have to blot out and pretend you don't see their face?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Yeah, for sure when you come to the court you need to play your match and be focused on what you want to do. And before the match or after the match, it's different.
But on the court, you really try to win the match.
Q. Have you had a chance to speak to him off the court, or do you need time away from him?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: No, no, it's fine. I didn't spoke to him. But there is no problem.
Q. You have some Czech background. Can you talk in the Czech language at home?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: I never used to talk in Czech language at home. It's from my grand grandfather. My father don't speak Czech.
Q. So your grandfather was born in Czech Republic?
STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Grand grandfather.
Staggered
It didn’t take long to see that things were going to be a little different for Stan Wawrinka this afternoon. In the first game, his opponent, Roger Federer, came forward on an approach that forced Wawrinka to run hard to his forehand side. He got to the ball in time to crack a pretty good pass down the line. But you wouldn’t have known that it was pretty good. You wouldn’t have known it was any good at all, because Federer was all over it, like a fly on flypaper. He had read the shot and covered the line accordingly. He angled off a crosscourt bachand volley with ease and was quickly up a break.
“I thought the beginning was crucial,” Federer said.
That's because his opponent was coming in with a head of steam. Laver Arena has been Wawrinka’s playground this week. He’s owned the night there, and he’s feasted on just that type of passing shot. He must have hit a dozen clean winners with it against Gael Monfils and Andy Roddick. This time he watched as it was gobbled up by a faster player with better net sense, better hands, and a decade spent learning the ins and outs of Wawrinka's own game. Federer appeared to have read his friend’s mind as he swung for that forehand.
It was downhill fast from there for Stan, whose swagger turned to stagger by the end. He managed, as far as I heard, just one short wail, after one of his rare successful passes in the first set. His biggest show of emotion came when he was broken in the third set—Wawrinka gave us the best racquet smash of the tournament so far. The problem was, it also seemed to release all the energy he had left. Wawrinka walked around in a humbled daze for the rest of the match.
From the start, Wawrinka swung with none of the freedom he’d shown in his previous matches. Backhand bombs turned to shanks, and he wasn’t even close to controlling the rallies with his forehand. Federer said he read his serve well, which was a key, and as for the block return that Wawrinka used so effectively against Roddick, well it wasn’t so effective against Federer. He was there to knock it off with an easy forehand.
“I play Stan very different to what Roddick or Monfils or what other players might do against him,” Federer said, commenting on the fact that they’re friends and know each other’s games so well. “Clearly it’s not an easy match for him also.” Federer’s post-match celebration was notably muted.
It wasn’t easy on a few levels for Wawrinka. First, his form over the previous few days worked against him in a weird way. He’d been so good, and had acted like a new, more confident man, that he suddenly couldn’t come out and swing like he had nothing to lose against Federer. The new expectations, from him, his coach, the sport’s fans, made that impossible. Second, it’s not easy for a guy who’s 25 to make a Slam breakthrough, no matter how much he’s improved. They tend to happen for younger players who have yet to learn just how hard it is to win one. Nadal in 2005, del Potro in 2009, even Federer when he was 21 at Wimbledon in 2003: They played with the blind faith of youth. Wawrinka has labored for too long in the tour trenches, and gotten to know his role, to make breaking out of that role an easy task.
Last night Rafael Nadal found his second-week form; today it was Federer’s turn. He came into the tournament riding high, but nobody can stay in the stratosphere for two weeks. He said today that by the time a player is mid-way through a tournament, he’s used to the conditions and is seeing the ball well, and that’s the case for him now. He’s settled in, and remains, to me, the favorite.
And probably to Stan Wawrinka as well. Little Brother came into the press room today with a rueful smile of embarrassment on his face. He didn’t look crushed by the defeat, just put back in his place. Maybe he was never really in the match at all. At Federer’s presser a few days ago, he was asked which of the players left were particularly dangerous. He knew Wawrinka was potentially his next opponent, but he barely mentioned his buddy's name.
“He was too good for me,” Wawrinka said today. True, but sad. It sounded like he'd made up his mind for good on the subject.
RG 2011 - konferencja po zwycięstwie w 1 rundzie:
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multi … 00081.html
RG 2011 - konferencja po zwycęstwie w 3 rundzie.
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multi … 0016e.html