Stan Wawrinka reveals he is living a tennis fan's dream life

I am going safely out on the proverbial limb and assuming that if you are reading this article you like tennis. Another assumption would be that you like playing tennis, too. And if you are anything like I am, you might have at one point in your life dreamed of playing tennis professionally. I did not have the skill to do that, but I still could dream. When three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka talks about why he still plays, we can live vicariously through him.

In a recent interview with Ole, Wawrinka spoke about things such as who he thought was the perfect player and how he enjoyed playing against all-time greats. He was humble and self-aware in his answers. In other words, he was probably a lot like us if we had the career Wawrinka has had.

The perfect player, according to Wawrinka? That would be Novak Djokovic. This was because while Rafael Nadal was a tough left-handed player with lots of power and Roger Federer had so much speed, Djokovic had more of the best bits of other players. Djokovic makes matches tougher physically than Federer did and the Serb has more speed than Nadal.

We should be as lucky as Stan Wawrinka

Wawrinka lost the head-to-head matchup versus his fellow Swiss, Federer, 23-3. Wawrinka also got three victories off of Nadal while losing 19 times. The Swiss had a slightly better time against Djokovic but still trails the head-to-head 21-6.

But what answer did the ATP No. 60 give that should make us all empathize with him in our dreams of being professional tennis players? Maybe this one when asked why the 38-year-old still chooses to keep playing: "...for me, it was always an opportunity to play against the best players in the history of tennis...The passion of sport, without a doubt. I am passionate about what I am doing. It is a great opportunity in life when you find your passion and can turn it into your job.

"The excitement I feel for tennis, the opportunity to travel the world...the chance to play in front of many fans from all over the world. I enjoy every little detail of tennis life. Even the most difficult, as if practicing a lot, being disciplined, and sacrificing several things. I know that it is part of the process and I enjoy this life and I am also aware that it is not forever, that is why I want to enjoy it as much as possible."

That may very well be the best answer anyone has ever given for why they do anything. If a person loves to do something and can get paid to do that thing? That is amazing, right? We should all be as lucky as Stan Wawrinka.

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