TENNIS “He Was Like a Big Brother” – Stan Wawrinka Opens Up on Roger Federer’s Influence on Him

Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka have been two of the top faces for Swiss Tennis. Both are Grand Slam winners and one of them is an all-time great. Federer and Wawrinka have put Switzerland on the Men’s tennis map. And so, they share a very close bond with each other.

Federer and Wawrinka notably won the Olympic Gold in doubles for Switzerland, in Beijing 2008. Wawrinka, back then, had just entered the tennis scene, and Federer, on the other hand, had won numerous Grand Slams by then.

“Roger Federer taught me a lot” – Stan Wawrinka

In an interview with L’Illustre, Wawrinka talked about Federer. He was asked whether he feels unlucky to be playing in the same era as Federer. Wawrinka humbly rejected the notion and said that Federer is like a big brother to him.

“On the contrary, he taught me a lot. When I got on the tour, he was already number one in the world and had won several Grand Slams. I have always enjoyed learning from others.

The three Time Major winner went on to credit the ‘Big Three’ for having taught him a lot in his career.

“I owe a lot of my Grand Slam titles to the “Big Three.” I’m certainly the player who trained the most with them. I watched them, I watched a lot of their games. At the start of my career, I was able to count on Roger’s advice before I faced the best. He was like a big brother on the circuit.”

Wawrinka also talked about the greatest advice from the 20-time Grand Slam champion. He likes Federer’s calmness and the importance of living in the present moment.

“The importance of living in the present moment. For twenty years, it has been used daily by the press, fans, travel, tournaments, training. His days are ultra-busy and yet he remains in an incredible calm.”

Wawrinka is one of the most humble guys on the tour. Over the past months, he has been dealing with injuries. Let’s not forget he is a 3-time Grand Slam champion, and he still believes in a strong comeback.