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Why Stan Wawrinka deserves more recognition in the Big 3 era

By Justin Gincauskas

Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka celebrates with the trophy following his victory over Serbia's Novak Djokovic at the end of their men's final match of the Roland Garros 2015 French Tennis Open in Paris on June 7, 2015. AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGET (Photo credit should read DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP via Getty Images)
Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka celebrates with the trophy following his victory over Serbia's Novak Djokovic at the end of their men's final match of the Roland Garros 2015 French Tennis Open in Paris on June 7, 2015. AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGET (Photo credit should read DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP via Getty Images) /
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When you think about men’s tennis in the last 15 years, you obviously think of Stan Wawrinka right? Of course not. The first thing that should come to your mind is the Big 3. They have dominated the sport for over 15 years now and have each cemented a case for being the greatest of all time.

If you asked someone to name the next best player of this era of tennis, the answer you would most likely receive is Andy Murray. This makes sense because at one point in time, the Big 3 was actually called the Big 4.

After Murray, most fans would find it difficult to name the next best player of the era. I believe that Stan Wawrinka is by far the next best player on this list. He might not have the titles or world number one ranking to compete with Murray in terms of career accomplishments, but he deserves a lot more recognition and respect in this era of tennis.

When looking at Wawrinka’s career, it is obvious to see that he peaked much later in the sport than most. Wawrinka first entered the top ten in the ATP rankings in 2013, where he was already a veteran on tour at the age of 28. He then reached his career high ranking of three in the world in January of 2014, according to the ATP rankings breakdown.

It was between 2014-2016 where Wawrinka made his mark on the tour, especially considering Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic were in their primes at this very time. During this time, Wawrinka won all three of his Grand Slam titles, which happens to be the same amount that Andy Murray has won in his career. This is no knock on Murray, who has had a better career, but in fact just another reason why Wawrinka deserves more respect in the sport. Here is an in depth look at how he captured those three Grand Slams, and why this proves that he is one of the best outside the Big 3 in this era of the sport.

2014 Australian Open

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 26: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland holds the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after winning, and Rafael Nadal of Spain holds the runner up plate after their men’s final match during day 14 of the 2014 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 26: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland holds the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after winning, and Rafael Nadal of Spain holds the runner up plate after their men’s final match during day 14 of the 2014 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images) /

This was where Wawrinka captured his first Grand Slam title, and his ranking shot up to a career high number three in the world after the tournament. It is crazy to think at just how close Wawrinka was to losing in the quarterfinals, and how that could have changed his career entirely. After beating Tommy Robredo in the round of 16, Wawrinka had a quarterfinal match-up against the number two player at the time and three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic.

The quarterfinal match between the two was one of the best matches of the tournament, with Wawrinka and Djokovic splitting the first four sets, which meant a deciding fifth set. This was before the Australian Open introduced the new “super tiebreak” at 6-6 in the final set, so in this match the players would have to play until one of them won by two games. It was Wawrinka that came out of the match victorious, winning the tight fifth set 9-7.

After winning such a big match, especially one that went five sets, it is normal for players to have a poor performance the next match, but Wawrinka did not let that happen. He would take care of the seven seed Tomas Berdych in four sets to reach his first career Grand Slam final.

In the final, Wawrinka would have to play another member of the Big 3, this time it would be Rafa Nadal, who was world number one at the time. Not only did Wawrinka need to beat two members of the Big 3 to win his first Grand Slam, but he also needed to beat them when they were number one and number two in the rankings. Well, Wawrinka did just that, defeating Nadal in four sets, capturing his first Grand Slam, and putting his name in the history books.

2015 French Open

PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 07: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland poses with the trophy after he won the Men’s final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day fifteen of the 2015 French Open at Roland Garros on June 7, 2015 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 07: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland poses with the trophy after he won the Men’s final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day fifteen of the 2015 French Open at Roland Garros on June 7, 2015 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images) /

After winning on the hard courts in Australia the year prior, Wawrinka wanted to prove that he could win on clay as well. Wawrinka came into the tournament with nothing to lose. He had lost in the first round here the year prior, and his best ever result was a quarterfinal appearance in 2013, where he lost to Nadal in straight sets.

Wawrinka came into the French Open ranked number nine in the world, where when he came into the tournament the year before, he was ranked third in the ATP rankings.

Wawrinka started off the tournament strong, dropping only one set in the first four rounds, defeating Dusan Lajovic, Steve Johnson, and Giles Simon on his way to the quarters. In the quarters, he would play the two seed, Roger Federer. Both from Switzerland and both with one of the best one-handed backhands of all time. It was all set up to be an incredible match.

Unfortunately for Federer, it was not an amazing match, as Wawrinka dominated Federer, defeating him in straight sets and advancing to his first French Open semi-final. In that semi-final, Wawrinka had to play the hometown favorite, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who had just defeated Kei Nishikori in a five-set thriller the round before.

After splitting the first two sets, it was Wawrinka that pulled away in the match and took out the fan favorite in four sets, advancing to his second Grand Slam final. Again, he would be playing a member of the Big 3 in the final of a Grand Slam, but this time it was number one seed Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic was playing some of the best tennis of his career at this point in time. What makes Wawrinka’s win here even more incredible was the fact that Djokovic was on a mission to capture his first French Open title and complete the career Grand Slam. He had beaten Nadal in straight sets in the quarterfinals, and defeated Andy Murray in the semis to get to the final.

Wawrinka’s task looked impossible, as he was definitely not the favorite to win, especially after losing to Djokovic just a few months prior in Australia. However, Wawrinka did the unthinkable and overcame the red-hot Djokovic, and even after losing the first set, Wawrinka fought back to take the next three to capture his first French Open title, and his second Grand Slam.

2016 US Open

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 11: Stan Wawrinka (R) of Switzerland and Novak Djokovic (L) of Serbia pose with their trophies after their Men’s Singles Final Match on Day Fourteen of the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Wawrinka defeated Djokovic with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 11: Stan Wawrinka (R) of Switzerland and Novak Djokovic (L) of Serbia pose with their trophies after their Men’s Singles Final Match on Day Fourteen of the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Wawrinka defeated Djokovic with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

The 2016 US Open was the least exciting out of the three Grand Slams that he captured in terms of the star power he beat, but it shows how he was able to handle the pressure and beat the world’s best in the biggest tournaments in the world.

Wawrinka’s run to the US Open title in 2016 was incredible when looking at how he ended up winning it. Wawrinka came into the tournament number three in the ATP rankings, but was coming off of a poor performance at Wimbledon, where he lost to Juan Martin Del Potro in the second round.

Wawrinka started the tournament off strongly in New York, defeating his first two opponents in straight sets, with a great first round win against top 50 player at the time Fernando Verdasco. He then had a big scare against Dan Evans, where he was down two sets to one in the match, and then narrowly won a tight fourth set tiebreak, before taking down Evans in the fifth 6-2.

It was in the quarterfinals where Wawrinka would be able to get his revenge. It was another battle between Wawrinka and Del Potro, and this time Wawrinka would come out of the match the winner, defeating Del Potro in four sets. It was then a semi-final battle against Kei Nishikori, who had beat Wawrinka earlier that summer in Canada, a match Nishikori won in straight sets to advance to the final.

This time however, it was Wawrinka that would win the semi-final battle, winning his third straight match in four sets. His reward for avenging the past loses to his last two opponents was a chance to get even more revenge. This time it would be against Novak Djokovic once again. Djokovic had won the last two meetings between the two, both coming in ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.

Djokovic came into the final well rested, having received a walkover in the second round and having two matches end in retirement. Djokovic had only played 13 full sets in the tournament before the final, while Wawrinka had played 23.

It looked as though he had no shot of winning the final, especially after losing the long first set in a tiebreak, but Wawrinka was able to fight back yet again. He would end up taking the next three sets, winning his fourth match in a row in four sets, and capturing his third and final Grand Slam.

Recap

In a time where the Big 3 have snatched up every Grand Slam possible, Wawrinka has found a way to snag three of his own while all three were in the prime of their careers.

In the 2014 Australian Open, Wawrinka beat both Djokovic and Nadal to capture the title. In the 2015 French Open, Wawrinka defeated Federer and Djokovic on his way to taking the title in France. Lastly, in the 2016 US Open, Wawrinka took care of Djokovic in the final to take home his third Grand Slam title.

None of the Grand Slams that Wawrinka won were because of a weak draw or because the Big 3 were not playing their best. Each one had to be earned and taken away from the hands of Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer, and Wawrinka did just that.

Hopefully when people look back on this era after the Big 3 eventually retire and the new era officially begins, they will see what Wawrinka has accomplished in the sport, and give him the recognition he deserves.

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