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Roland Garros: Stan Wawrinka tritt am French Open an

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updated27. May 2023, 00:23

Roland Garros“Can still beat anyone” – this is how Wawrinka wants to cause a sensation in Paris

Stan Wawrinka provided a great moment in Swiss tennis in 2015 with his French Open title. Now the 38-year-old wants to come up trumps again at what might be his last tournament in Roland Garros.

von
Florian Gnägi

(from Paris)

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Stan Wawrinka in victory pose. Here most recently after his victory in Rome against the Belarusian Ilya Ivashka.

Stan Wawrinka in victory pose. Here most recently after his victory in Rome against the Belarusian Ilya Ivashka.

REUTERS

Now the French Open is coming up for the Romand.

Now the French Open is coming up for the Romand.

AFP

Unforgotten how Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic in the French Open final in 2015.

Unforgotten how Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic in the French Open final in 2015.

IMAGO/USA TODAY Network

That’s what it’s about

  • The French Open starts in Paris on Sunday.

  • At the largest clay court tennis tournament in the world, Stan Wawrinka is one of just two players in the tableau who has already won the tournament.

  • Now it could be one of Wawrinka’s last performances at his former place of success.

Reddish tennis shorts that look like swimming trunks and a backhand longline that was second to none – Stan Wawrinka’s triumph when he won the title in Roland Garros in 2015 is definitely a very big moment in Swiss sports history. All the more so since the Romand, along with Roger Federer and twice Novak Djokovic, is the only player who has been able to break through the incredible dominance of 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal since 2005.

“This year I’ll go home after the first lap,” jokes Wawrinka eight years later when he returns to his former place of success. Of course, the 38-year-old veteran is aiming for more in Paris than just being there. Nevertheless: After a few injuries and advanced age, “Stan the Man” has to be taken game by game.

“Can win against anyone”

The Swiss also knows that the three-time Grand Slam winner can still be a dangerous opponent for every player. “When I step onto the pitch, I know that I can still win, no matter who I have in front of me,” said Wawrinka confidently.

At the start in Roland Garros on Sunday, the Spaniard Albert Ramos-Viñolas (ATP 66) is waiting for the Swiss, who is currently second best behind Marc-Andrea Hüsler (ATP 81). “It’s complicated to play on,” says Wawrinka modestly. However, a look at his immaculate statistics with seven wins from seven direct duels so far shows that anything but progress would be a bitter disappointment for the world number 88.

Praise from Rublev

All the more so because the French Open was “the tournament par excellence” for the Vaud native as a child, as he says. “As soon as I got home from school earlier, I looked at all the games,” reports Wawrinka and emphasizes: “If there is a tournament that is at the top for me, it’s Roland-Garros”.