Marathon Man Stanislas Wawrinka

Stanislas Wawrinka earned himself the epithet of Marathon Man over many long fought five set matches in Grand Slams. But he has been running a marathon for years; being Swiss, he has been ranked number 2 in Switzerland for many years behind Roger Federer. Unlike others I could name, he never complained about playing in an era of outstanding tennis players.

Stanislas Wawrinka

Many a great tennis nation would love to call Stanislas Wawrinka as their number one tennis player. Currently ranked at 10 in the ATP ranking, he is (still) behind Roger Federer at 7. That a tennis dwarf nation like Switzerland is able to have two men in the top ten ranking is an outstanding achievement. And it is testament more to a dogged work ethic of the Swiss number 2 than to the outstanding brilliance of Roger Federer.

Stanislas Wawrinka is an outstanding sportsman. Widely ignored by tennis commentators and even by the press in his homeland Switzerland, he never begrudged Roger Federer his place in tennis history or complained about how difficult it made things for him. Contrariwise, he always held up Roger Federer as the idol and driving force of Swiss tennis.

Davis Cup for a country like Switzerland is a no win situation. As a small nation, it is almost impossible to find enough players to fill a team with the aim to win it. Stanislas Wawrinka never hesitated to play in the thankless tasks set him in that contest, and usually he was the number one in the team. On the rare occasions where Roger Federer made an appearance, he handed over to him without hesitation and without complaint. Sportsman like, he put the aim of the team above his ego.

This year, he had probably his best season ever so far. Reaching the quarter finals in the US open is no mean feat; now he has to face Andy Murray to take it one step further. The present form of Stanislas Wawrinka is the bad news for Andy Murray, as is his own form that has not yet reached the peak. And the Scot isn't really comfortable with the game of the Swiss at any time. We might be able to see a titanic match tonight; and few would grudge Stanislas Wawrinka an upset over Andy Murray.

Further reading
Giving up: The Key to Success
Jerzy Janowicz and Andy Murray
Tennis: Mr Darcis Says Nada