Stan Wawrinka wrote an emotional message on social media about his passion for tennis after last month’s Swiss Indoors Basel. It is that attitude that has seen many young players look up to the 40-year-old and try to become like the three-time national champion.
What would his message be for those who try to follow in his footsteps?
“I think ultimately the most important thing [thing] is loving what you do,” Wawrinka told ATPTour.com at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship in Athens. “It’s enjoying the process, enjoying the road. [Being a] tennis player, it’s a great life. If you are passionate about your sport, it is so special to travel the world to play tennis.”
There is a new crop of Swiss players rising through the PIF ATP rankings. They grew up watching Wawrinka perform at the highest level and were able to learn lessons from the former world number 3 when joining him on Tour.
Leandro Riedi and Jerome Kym reached the fourth round and third round of the US Open respectively, while 18-year-old Henry Bernet won this year’s Australian Open boys’ singles title and competed in the same event as Wawrinka in Athens this week.
“For me it’s always great to see the new generation coming,” Wawrinka said. “I’m also so happy that I get the opportunity to play with them and play against them. It’s always special as a player to be able to play against different generations.”
“You always hope that more players will come, more young players will come, because that’s what you want to see.”
[ATP AWARDS]
There are countless fans of Wawrinka all over the world. ‘Stan the Man’ is a big fan of the sport himself and said “it was great for the fans to watch tennis” this year.
“There are different generations playing against each other,” Wawrinka said. “Of course you have Sinner and Alcaraz at the top of the rankings, but Novak is still trying to achieve great goals, so it’s always special.
“You have so many different personalities, different players who play this game, so as a tennis fan you can only enjoy that.”
Many fans will enjoy Wawrinka’s showdown against second seed Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday. The Italian must win the Athens title to clinch the final qualifying spot for the Nitto ATP Finals.
“He has one [big] There is a challenge for him to get there and that is of course important for him,” Wawrinka said after his first round victory against Botic van de Zandschulp. “It is a big challenge [facing him]. He plays so well. I’ve seen him play a lot of games this year, so I’m looking forward to playing against him and seeing where I stand.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
#Wawrinka #important #love