By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday Could 23, 2025
Paris – Stan Wawrinka has confronted the best gamers that his unbelievable era has ever produced. He has battled Novak Djokovic in Slam finals, and Roger Federer at Wimbledon. However one problem stands tall, above all of them, in response to Wawrinka: going through Rafawel Nadal at Roland-Garros.
“I believe his outcomes communicate for themselves,” the three-time Grand Slam champion stated on Roland-Garros media day. “In my profession, probably the most large problem was going through Rafa on clay, particularly within the French Open. It is at all times been very troublesome.”
The Swiss went 1-8 towards Nadal on clay, and 3-19 total. He remembers his final match towards Nadal in Paris, a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 drubbing within the 2017 closing, vividly.
“I bear in mind the final match we performed, it was the ultimate in 2017,” he stated. “It was very troublesome. He is so assured, so sturdy. He is aware of precisely what he has to do when he performs on clay. It has been my largest problem ever.”
40-year-old Wawrinka is joyful to be part of the primary draw, even when he is aware of his Grand Slam successful days are behind him.
“If I take my age and my bodily situation as we speak, I really feel very well,” he stated. “I wish to have higher outcomes. I believe I am doing what is critical. All the things is a bit longer. You need to regulate. You need to practice extra for outcomes which might be inferior to earlier than. You could relaxation extra to have the ability to practice extra.
“That is life as it’s. If I am nonetheless in a position to play, as I am 40 now, this isn’t so widespread. So I do know the place I am standing, I understand how difficult it may show to be. I believe it is a good problem to try to nonetheless have good performances at my age.”
2015 champion Wawrinka will face Nice Britain’s Jacob Fearnley within the first spherical in Paris.
