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Stanislas Wawrinka: The Next Swiss Star PDF Print E-mail
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Written by Clair Maciel   
Monday, 03 September 2007
Rising Swiss star Stanislas Wawrinka is making the run of his professional career at this year’s US Open.
Sure, his name might not yet be as commonly known as fellow countryman and world No. 1 Roger Federer, but in Switzerland, he’s just as big of a star.

When the 2007 US Open tournament began, only two Swiss men were listed in the main draw of 128. And for the past several Grand Slams, it’s not unusual for Federer to be the lone Swiss remaining in the final 16.

But now that Wawrinka (who faces Juan Ignacio Chela in the quarters) has passed the tests from Evgeny Korolev, No. 25 Marat Safin and American favorite Robby Ginepri, Switzerland’s two representatives are still going strong in the running for the 2007 title, a Grand Slam first in the Open Era.

As the only two Swiss men currently in the top 100, it seems Wawrinka (pronounced va-VINK-ah) has taken a few pages out of Roger’s notebook as he’s climbed the ranks, and the two have continued to stick together as countrymen. In fact, it’s not unusual to see Federer’s parents, Robert and Lynette, sitting in Wawrinka’s corner cheering him on during his matches. And learning from the man many believe to be the greatest player to ever play the game doesn’t hurt, either.

“I’m pretty close with Roger,” the 22-year-old said, “and his parents come to almost every match of mine to support me, and that’s very nice. I am good friends with Roger. It’s always nice to practice with the No. 1 and to talk with the No. 1 player.”

A resident of St. Barthelemy, Switzerland, Wawrinka considers clay his best surface, and his 2007 results certainly reflect that statement. This year at Roland Garros, where he captured the 2003 junior championship title, Wawrinka pushed No. 7 seed Ivan Ljubicic to four sets before falling in the second round. He also claimed wins over Guillermo Canas and Juan Ignacio Chela en route to a meeting with Rafael Nadal in the finals of Stuttgart in July. There, Nadal barely edged the Swiss 6-4, 7-5.

Wawrinka, one of four tennis-playing siblings, turned pro in 2002 at the age of 17. By the end of 2005 he hovered just outside the Top 50. In October of last year he reached a career high No. 29 and had high hopes to reach the Top 20 this season. But those plans were put on hold when he suffered a three-month setback, tearing a tendon in his right knee while practicing for the Swiss Davis Cup team’s tie against Spain in February.

Since his comeback in May, he’s steadily improved his game and is beginning to turn his focus back to his previous goal, following Roger’s lead up the ranks.

“My goal for this now was to be in the Top 20,” Wawrinka said, “but I (had) an injury in February, and now I just play a lot of matches and just win every match I can.”

No doubt Wawrinka’s 2007 US Open run, his career-best Grand Slam result, will be a motivating factor for him to continue his quest up the rankings in the near future. Lucky for him he’s got the best role model to look up to in doing so.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2007-09-03/200709031188865732687.html  
 
 
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