Dubai: The tattoo on his left forearm that quotes Irish writer Samuel Beckett reads: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”
His latest failure, a five-set defeat to Milos Raonic in the last-16 of the Australian Open on Monday is unlikely to deter Swissman Stan Wawrinka, who at 30 is enjoying the most successful period of his career. After hovering around the top-10 for nearly six years — when anyone who watched him play noticed the untapped potential, not to mention his blistering serve and that gorgeous single-handed backhand — the two-time Grand Slam champion has finally come into his own, time and again crashing the ‘Big Four’ party in men’s tennis.
His moment of glory came in 2014 when he finally came out of his more illustrious compatriot Roger Federer’s shadow by beating Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to win the Australian Open and deny the Spaniard the distinction of being the only active men’s player to win at least two of each Grand Slam.
Then, just to prove it was no flash in the pan, he denied Djokovic his maiden French Open title in the 2015 final. That the Serb went on to win three of the four Grand Slams last season illustrates the significance of his victory.
For years, Nadal stood between Federer and the French Open title, until the legendary Swiss managed to lay his hands on the elusive trophy in 2009. Having already denied Djokovic last year, does Wawrinka see himself playing a similar role given clay also happens to be his favourite surface?
“I wouldn’t compare myself to Rafa,” The world No. 4 told Gulf News in an exclusive interview from Melbourne.
“What he has done in Roland Garros is unbelievable. He has won the title nine times and only lost two matches there. Yes, I played a great tournament and an amazing final last year and that’s something I’m very proud of.”
Over the past few years, the Swiss star has made it a habit of beginning his season and winning in Chennai. And he believes the move has really worked for him.
“It’s very important for me [to begin the year in Chennai]. To start the year with a title is amazing. I always feel good in Chennai, the atmosphere is nice and the conditions are very similar to Australia,” he said.
Wawrinka has also been a regular visitor to Abu Dhabi, but has been skipping the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for a few years now. But he is back this year, as he joins a star-studded field that includes Djokovic and Federer. So how much does he look forward to returning to the region’s oldest ATP World Tour event (along with the Qatar ExxonMobil Open)?
“I haven’t played Dubai for a while because I tried to spend a bit more time in Europe. I’m very happy to come back because Dubai is an amazing city and Salah Tahlak and his team are doing an amazing job. The field has always been very strong in Dubai and I will have to play my best tennis. I will take it match by match and hope to go far into the week,” he said.
Besides his two Grand Slam titles, Wawrinka also cherishes the doubles gold he won in Beijing in 2008 partnering Federer. So, is winning the singles gold in Rio somewhere at the top of his agenda for the year?
“I have several goals this year and the singles at the Olympics is one of them. Winning the Olympic gold in doubles with Roger was one of the happiest moments in my career so far. Of course I also want to do well at the Slams and the Masters 1000s which will be crucial in order to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals again which are one of my favourite events in the year,” he said.
