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In Rome, Stan Wawrinka celebrated his first two wins after his comeback. Now the ultimate form test awaits.
What a satisfying feeling that must have been for Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday night. In front of euphoric Italian fans and on one of the most atmospheric places on the ATP tour – Pietrangeli – the veteran defeated the Serb Laslo Djere (ATP 59) in 3 sets after almost 3 hours.
It wasn’t without drama, without numerous ups and downs. That’s just part of Wawrinka. It was like that before his two foot surgeries and the long forced break and it’s no different after his comeback. And the fans love it.
Validation for the hard work
The audience and the atmosphere in the stadiums is also the reason why the 37-year-old took on all the hardships that required a comeback on the big stage in the late autumn of his career. Wawrinka mentioned this several times, especially this week in Rome. And the experience so far should confirm the three-time Grand Slam winner in his decision to continue.
It is also clear that Wawrinka is not yet where he used to be in terms of performance. No one knows that better than Lausanne himself. Every game gives Wawrinka new insights into his condition. The ultimate form test awaits the Swiss on Thursday afternoon. In the round of 16 he faces none other than Novak Djokovic.
Legend:
Appreciate each other
Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic, here in the photo before the 2015 French Open final.
IMAGO / Shutterstock
Wawrinka vs. Djokovic zum 26.
It felt like an eternity since the last duel between the two. In 2019 at the US Open, Wawrinka surprisingly had the upper hand in the round of 16. The Romand also benefited from the fact that Djokovic, from his point of view, gave up when the score was 4: 6, 5: 7, 1: 2.
Although Wawrinka is clearly behind in head-to-head with Djokovic (6:19), “Stan the Man” celebrated some of his greatest victories ever against the Serbs. 3 of them on the way to the Major triumphs.
- Australian Open 2014: Wawrinka defeats Djokovic in a memorable quarterfinal. After exactly 4 hours, the Swiss prevailed 9:7 in the 5th set.
- French Open 2015: After losing the starting sentence, Wawrinka turns up the heat in the final in Paris and doesn’t give the “Djoker” a chance. With a 4: 6, 6: 4, 6: 3, 6: 4 victory, Wawrinka was crowned Roland Garros champion.
- US Open 2016: A year later, Wawrinka and Djokovic also face each other in the final in New York. Again the Romand has to give up the 1st round before he wins the next 3 and triumphs.
Starting position as clear as seldom
From the past back to the present: A win by Wawrinka in the Rome round of 16 against Djokovic would be a sensation – measured against the situation in which the two players are currently. While the Swiss continues to fight back from a long break, Djokovic greets, as so often, from the top of the world rankings. And no less than this is at stake: In order to remain on the tennis throne after the tournament in Italy’s capital, the Serb must at least reach the semi-finals.
On the other hand, Wawrinka has absolutely nothing to lose. On the contrary. He will once again gain a lot of knowledge regardless of the outcome.
