Stan Wawrinka addresses future after watching Murray and co plan retirements - EXCLUSIVE
EXCLUSIVE: Stan Wawrinka knows there will be plenty of questions about his eventual retirement as he continues to compete at the age of 39.
Stan Wawrinka is still feeling as passionate as ever about his tennis at the age of 39. The three-time Grand Slam champion has watched several of his contemporaries announce their retirements, with Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman all set to stop playing in the next year. But Wawrinka doesn’t seem ready to join them just yet, as he told Express Sport why he wanted to “keep going”.
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At the height of his career, Wawrinka managed to get close to the ‘Big Four’ in a way that most of his rivals couldn’t. The Swiss star won three Major titles, beating Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the finals, and reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world. Things came crashing down while Wawrinka was still at his peak.
Shortly after losing his fourth Grand Slam final to Nadal at the 2017 French Open, he suffered a shock first-round exit at Wimbledon and ended his season to undergo knee surgery. But he mounted a successful comeback, reaching two finals in 2019 and returning to the top 15. And he was forced to do it all over again after spending a year on the sidelines to have two foot operations in 2021.
Since then, Wawrinka has reached another final and re-entered the top 50. Now sitting at No. 87 in the world, the 39-year-old still has unfinished business in the sport. “There are always goals,” Wawrinka told Express Sport. “I think as an athlete it’s important to put yourself some goals. I also know that of course the goals I had 10 years ago are not the same now, especially after so many injuries and surgeries the last few years.” While some of his old rivals have been busy planning their retirements, Wawrinka has been trying to put himself in the position to lift another trophy.
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He continued: “But I would love to win a title again, that’s my personal goal. And the rest is about doing the right thing every day, pushing yourself to be the best I can today at my age where I am in my career it’s really important to control what you can control. That means the practice, that means what you do every day, because the results you cannot really control but you can prepare yourself the best way possible for it.”
After enjoying a promising 2023 season, things have stalled for Wawrinka this year as he has struggled to get wins. But he still believes that the results will come. “I’ve been not winning so many matches this year but I’ve been practising well and playing quite good so I’m quite positive with the level I can reach but I need to figure it out,” he added.
“I need to find a way to get more confidence in matches, to try to win matches back-to-back and push a bit but I know that if I can keep doing what I’m doing, pushing myself every day, keep this level high in practice, the results will come sooner or later. Maybe not on clay or who knows, maybe later during the year. But I’m still happy with the level I can reach in practice so that’s what I’m focusing on.”
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Wawrinka is also enjoying his off-court duties, one of which is being a brand ambassador for evian. The brand has just launched their Mountain of Youth campaign, which the Swiss player says came at an “amazing time” as he continues to compete at the age of 39. “I hope [it reminds me that I can feel young], I’m trying. But of course it’s normal when you get older after 20 years on tour, in sports, in competition sports people wonder when you’re going to stop. But for me, as I say, it’s about the mentality I have,” Wawrinka explained.
“I play for myself, I play for the fans and I know I’m getting closer to the end but I keep mentally feeling young, I keep fresh with it by enjoying what I’m doing. By keeping this mentality of enjoying to wake up and to go to practice and feeling fresh and ready for it.” While there are plenty of questions about retirement, especially given that so many players from his era are starting to reach the end, Wawrinka is happy to take them on the chin and prove that he still wants to be out on the court.
“I’ve been on tour for 20 years and of course when I get to 39 years old and I’m 80 in the world, for sure people will ask me the question and I have no problem with that,” he added. “It’s just the way I want to answer it and the way I want to prove that I still want to be there. At the end of the day, I decide what I’m going to do with my tennis career. And as much as I enjoy what I’m doing, I’m passionate about that, I still feel competitive to play some big matches and to win some good matches, I want to keep going because it’s a chance to be still playing at that level.
“And I think it’s also a good example for the young kids, you want to show them that it’s not because you get older that the passion has to disappear. Don’t forget when I started playing tennis it was about the game, playing with my friends, being passionate and enjoying that, and it’s still the case. And I think it’s important to remind young players, when you want to dream about something, when you’re passionate, just push for it.”
Wawrinka has also set another example this week, by dropping down to the Challenger level to get some matches in Bordeaux ahead of the French Open. He wasn’t the only three-time Grand Slam champion to enter the draw, with Andy Murray also in action. And Wawrinka wants younger players to know that nothing is beneath them.
“I think it’s for the young kids that want to dream about that, they need to understand that it doesn’t matter what you achieve, doesn’t matter your age, doesn’t matter where you are, you need to do what is good for your career,” he said. “Like for us, playing a Challenger is not a problem at all. It doesn’t matter which level, as I say we are really passionate about what we are doing so we enjoy, doesnt’ matter where we are. We know what it takes to be at the top, we know what it takes for us to be at the best level we can now. And we’re going to go to the tournament that’s best for us.”
Stan Wawrinka is an evian Global Brand Ambassador and stars in the brand’s new campaign which invites everyone to discover the Mountain of Youth, a mystical place where you can rejuvenate the body and mind thanks to the purity of evian water. Discover more about the importance of healthy hydration at Evian.com.
