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He lets himself be celebrated for minutes on Court 14. Marathon Stan has performed again. In five sentences, four hours and 35 minutes. A Wawrinka classic. A fight with incredible passion. In the end, the 38-year-old Romand won against the Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas (35) – and he played conductor in front of full stands. He throws a ball to the side that makes the most noise. The audience goes wild, like during the game between the points.
“Alleeez!”, “Stan, je t’aime!”, “Waaawrinka, Waaaawrinka!” – For months now, the three-time Grand Slam winner has been enmeshed and cheered by the fans at his tournaments. This was recently also the case in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome. And especially last autumn at the home tournament in Basel, when the tremendous support from the stands brought him to tears.
The lack of respect at home
It’s still a fresh love, at least in Switzerland. Three years ago, Wawrinka explained at the Swiss Indoors that he had no respect for his career in his home country. After the major knee surgery and the first comeback at the time, he was only asked when he would be the old Stan again. So the one who won Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne in 2014, in Paris in 2015 and in New York in 2016. And all in the shadow of superstar Roger Federer (41).
Wawrinka’s results were recorded for more than ten years, but without arousing great emotions. For years, the Swiss runner-up never really got the recognition he would have deserved for his extraordinary career. Until now.
In Roland Garros, every tennis fan will want to take another look at the veteran with the cracking backhand. The queues for the entrances in the game against Ramos-Vinolas are meters long.
«enjoy again»
Severin Lüthi (47), Davis Cup captain and Federer’s coach for many years, does not miss the match on Court 14. He understands the affection for Wawrinka: “I think people realize what Stan has achieved in his career. There are certainly people who think that they probably won’t see him play again in ten years – and therefore want to enjoy it again now.”
Among the spectators are many wearing “Stan the Man” shirts. One of them is the young French fan Lirone. He says: “I love his tennis, he’s a great fighter. The comeback he’s making is beautiful, that’s why I’m here.”
Asked about the mega mood in Paris, Wawrinka replies in a similar way: “This atmosphere, these emotions – these are the main reasons why I’m still here and want to keep playing.”
How fit is Wawrinka?
Wawrinka wants above all to have fun, celebrate his passion and, if possible, win one or the other title, he has said that time and again lately. How much is possible at Roland Garros will also depend on his condition. If he also beats Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis (27) on Wednesday, the number eleven seeded Russian Karen Khachanov (27) can wait in round three.
Lüthi testifies to Wawrinka “a really good level”, while the player is also optimistic about a successful tournament, but also adds: “I’m definitely not at the level of 2015 when I won here.”
But when it comes to fan love, he now moves in completely different realms. Lüthi also emphasizes that he has “the utmost respect” for Wawrinka’s performance. The love he now experiences is “hard-earned and deserved” and the French-speaking Swiss absolutely deserves it: “I sincerely hope that he can ride this wave of enthusiasm for a long time to come.”
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
