A Man of His Word: Roger Federer

Under the leadership of Switzerland's tennis player number one Stanislas Wawrinka (that takes time to sink in) and with Roger Federer, the Swiss Davis Cup Team won against Serbia to qualify for the quarter finals against Kazakhstan. This will be played in Switzerland and Roger Federer will be part of the team. It shows a marked change to his earlier absences from the team.

Stanislas Wawrinka and Roger Federer

Many will have noticed that the Swiss Davis Cup Team hasn't done anything remarkable for the last ten years or so. Roger Federer mostly declined to play as the scheduling of the Davis Cup ties interfered with his season planning. He declined again during the Australian Open 2014, only to make a spot decision days before the tie to come after all. What had brought on that sudden change of heart?

In an interview in 2006 with Swiss Television, he had said one sentence of importance to this issue. When asked about playing Davis Cup, he said 'when Stan is ready' he will try to help win the trophy. Stanislas Wawrinka stagnated and Roger Federer did his own thing. With Stanislas Wawrinka becoming Australian Open champion, Roger Federer made good on his promise made in 2006 and probably forgotten by most.

Despite the fact that playing Davis Cup is playing havoc with his season, he will help Stan the Man win for Switzerland. It is a trophy they both would like to have in their players' palmares. In an interview prior to the matches against Serbia, he said that 'this is not about me, this week belongs to Stan.' How good are their chances of winning the Davis Cup? How many teams from other countries can field two top ten tennis players?

And with Kazakhstan ousting Belgium from the draw, the Swiss team will be playing at home. This is further reason for both players to look forward to the matches to be held in April. Roger Federer definitely is looking forward to it if you want to go by his latest tweet. (And a question on the side: Who took up Patrick von Stutenzee's prognosis of a Stanislas Wawrinka win in Melbourne? He made the prediction on grounds that Roger Federer won his first Australian title after becoming Swiss Personality of the Year. Article link is below.)

Further reading
Swiss Personality of the Year Stanislas Wawrinka
Bernard Tomic in Roger Federer Jubilee Match
Tennis With Gay Appeal in London

Stanislas Wawrinka Starts 2014 With Chennai Win

Stanislas Wawrinka started 2014 as if it was still 2013. His win in Chennai was master class tennis over the whole tournament and should give him a lot of confidence going into the Australian Open in Melbourne. And last year's marathon match against Novak Djokovic was one of the highlights in the tennis season 2013 when considering all matches. And he is only the Swiss number two.

Stanislas Wawrinka has had an incredible year in 2013. It wasn't enough to get the "Sports Personality of the Year" award in Switzerland, but that hardly mattered. It seems that the tennis player from the French speaking part of Switzerland called the Romandie is preferring a life out of the spotlight any VIP status might give him. And now, again away from the spotlights concentrating on Doha, Brisbane, and Perth, he won the ATP tournament in India's Chennai in style. It looks like he intends to continue playing his best in the tennis season 2014.

Stanislas Wawrinka doesn't convey Roger Federer's glamour or have his international appeal. Images of him in a tuxedo are rarer than ones he smiles on. If he is made to wear formal gear, he appears like a fish out of water; not for him the fashion magazines of the world, but give him a tennis court anytime and he is happy. More than one great tennis nation would be glad to call him their number one tennis player, but Switzerland always has Roger Federer to pip him to the post.

Nonetheless, the 28-year-old world number eight has gained many fans in the past season. He earned the nickname "Marathon Man" during epic duels against top players like Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray. He stepped out of the overlong shadow of Roger Federer's when he beat 17-time Grand Slam winner in 2013 in the public poll as Sports Personality of the Year in Switzerland.

The recognition by people was something that had changed in 2013, said Stanislas Wawrinka in an interview with Swiss Television. Now, I get tremendous support throughout Switzerland, not only in the Romandie." The fact that the spotlight will probably always be directed onto Roger Federer doesn't bother him: "It was never a problem for me to be second to him. It was never a goal of mine to overtake him." A rivalry doesn't exist. "He is always the first to congratulate me when I played well and lost or when I won."

Playing well and losing is something Stanislas Wawrinka was getting used to in the past season. At the U.S. Open he reached the semi-finals and failed to get past Novak Djokovic in five sets. In Melbourne he wrung the last drop from his opponent in one of the most exhilarating matches of the year, but lost to Novak Djokovic. "It was my best, an incredible year," says the father of a three-year-old daughter. "But I hope that I have the potential to continue to improve."

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Stanislas Wawrinka had the words of Irish author Samuel Beckett inked onto his skin in 2013. They have become the motto of the world number 8.

Something he has achieved without trying is being shortlisted for the Personality of the Year award (just called Swiss Award) in Switzerland. The award is handed out in various categories: Culture, Economics, Politics, Show, Society, and Sports. Being nominated at all is an award as each shortlist has only three names on it. 

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

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

Roger Federer's Interview on Swiss Television

A summary compiled on the interview given by Roger Federer on Swiss Television on October 19, 2008. Roger Federer comments on the season, on press, on marriage, on Stanislas Wawrinka, and his plans for the Davis Cup.

Roger Federer tennis

This is neither a transcript nor a direct translation from Roger Federer’s native language Alemannic (often referred to as Swiss German) to English as that would be too complicated to accomplish. It is rather a summary of what Roger Federer said in the interview given on October 19, 2008, on Swiss Television.

Roger Federer commented on the season 2008 so far: That the beginning of the current season had been very difficult for him, as he didn’t know at the time he played the Australian Open that he was actually seriously ill. He had only noticed a heaviness of mind and slowness on the court which he couldn’t really explain to himself. He stated that in general terms he had been quite satisfied with the season so far considering the circumstances. What was very stressful to the former number one tennis player was that he had to reshuffle his training sessions to get back to form after the illness. The combination of this reshuffling with more tournaments to play including the Olympics was taking its toll on him.

As opposed to the last three years, it meant he had to intersperse hard training sessions between the tournaments instead of having a few days off. This in turn caused him to arrive at tournaments not at the peak of his abilities, as opposed to the two previous years, when he usually was in perfect timing to get his best tennis onto the court at the tournaments.

He said he still had been far behind with his training in Paris when he lost Roland Garros to Rafael Nadal. Therefore it had not surprised him that he had lost that final nor actually the result of it. To win against Rafael Nadal one can’t play 90% and expect to win anything.

As to Wimbledon, it had been very hard on him to lose that title to Rafael Nadal, but on the other hand he himself had certainly played the best match of his life. He rather suspected that Rafael Nadal had done that, too. He declined to comment on the press hype about the best match ever played.

He also commented on the press coverage on himself during this year. He stated that he had been a bit hurt when after losing to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open he had already been written off by the papers or at least into crisis. It had surprised him even more that they had been so negative after Wimbledon and that this was not quite in keeping with the hype about the match. He was especially negative about ‘certain commentators who had played no mean tennis themselves and talked like this was the end, when they should know better, having had their problems in their time as well’.

For him the Olympics Gold medal together with Stanislas Wawrinka had been for him a turning point in a season he had been satisfying but not a highlight. After that he knew that he was going to be back in form again for the American Open. The Olympics medal in tennis double had been very special for playing in team and had been psychologically very satisfying. It also boded well for the future concerning the Davis Cup. He wanted to have it clearly stated that he had not said that Switzerland would win the Davis Coup, but that he was considering a serious attempt in that direction if Stanislas Wawrinka was willing.

Queried on his being seen in a jewellers’ shop in Dubai, he laughed. Plans for marriage are not ripe. But it didn’t surprise him at all that he had been seen there as it was one of the best known addresses for Europeans to shop. Queried again on how it felt to be permanently in the public eye, he said that it was not too bad for them (meaning himself and his life partner former tennis player Mirka Vavrinec). In Switzerland in general the press is very respectful towards his private life. People in Switzerland are very reticent and do him the favour of ignoring him when meeting him on the road somewhere.

Commenting on the Swiss Indoors tournament commencing in Basel this week, he said he was definitely playing and willing to win. He also thinks that his fitness and preparation is sufficient to win it discounting any negative influence of having lost against Andy Murray. He said that he tournament in Basel was certainly the most difficult for him not to play it being his hometown. As an added plus he added that he enjoyed it immensely to be home again and to meet with family and friends while here.

One of his major joys, he said, was organising the Pizza dinner at the end of the tournament with the ball boys and girls, as he himself had first done that at the age of 13. He remembered being extremely nervous at that time to come so near to tennis greats like Boris Becker. His next highlight had been playing in the Qualifying round a few years later. As Wimbledon Junior Champion he had received a wild card the following year and received a lesson from André Agassi, but it was just great, he said.

He finally commented on the placement of Stanislas Wawrinka and that he was very happy for him. He hoped to meet him in the final of Basel, this being necessary for Stanislas Wawrinka to be able to take part in Shanghai’s Masters Tournament.

My text is neither complete nor word perfect. Any faults in understanding or translation are mine.

Further reading
Djokovic Plays Top to Nadal Bottom
Bernard Tomic in Roger Federer Jubilee Match
Tennis With Gay Appeal in London