Stan Wawrinka was never going to stride into London with the hauteur of a double slam champion. The 30-year-old Swiss, now a mere 15 majors behind his compatriot Roger Federer, refused to declare on Sunday that he would add Wimbledon to his Australian and French titles – with good reason given his record there – nor would he even say he would beat the rising but injury-prone young Australian Nick Kyrgios in the first round at Queen’s on Tuesday.
No, Wawrinka, who has risen from No8 to No4 in the world and is playing some of the best tennis of his life, was just happy to talk about his shorts. If an article of clothing can define an athlete, the plaid shorts he donated to the Roland Garros museum after beating the world No1, Novak Djokovic, in the French Open final last Sunday fit the bill.
They will forever be associated with that classic match and their story is part of the Stan The Man legend.
He could wear them this week, he said, but has not made up his mind. “I have some white clothes for Wimbledon, that’s for sure,” he said, with a nod to the tournament’s insistence on traditional garb.
When he unveiled his now-famous shorts at Monte Carlo two months ago they were widely derided. Who goes to work in his pyjamas, the fashionistas and others asked. “[It’s] a funny story: now [the shorts] are sold out – something that no one likes … It’s a strange world.”
As for his tennis, it is universally admired and he could hardly be in a better place, mentally or physically, as he attacks the short grass season over the next month. Life as the unexpected winner of the Coupe des Mousquetaires in the 114th edition of the French Open has been not much different.
“It was a normal Monday in Paris, a lot of press, pictures. Tuesday I took a flight early morning to do something with Evian, my sponsor. Came back home Tuesday, late. Then on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday I was spending time with my family, with my daughter, and doing some fitness.”
His family life has been anything but normal since the very public break-up of his marriage in April but Wawrinka seems to have compartmentalised it well enough. There are some players who would have struggled to see off Djokovic, the runaway best player in the world, in the final of a slam with such private baggage to deal with but Wawrinka looks to have found peace of mind on the court, hitting the ball harder than just about anyone in the game.
He will find the next few weeks more demanding than the past few, however, moving away from the more comfortable environment of clay to a surface on which he has had only sporadic success since losing to Miguel Angel López Jaén, a Spanish clay-courter ranked 462 in the world, in the second round of a Futures event 14 years ago.
This is his third visit to Queen’s, where he lost to the eventual champion, Grigor Dimitrov, in the semi-finals last year and to James Ward in the second round four years ago.
As for Wimbledon, he has never much enjoyed the experience in 10 campaigns, going out five times in the first round, including a shock exit in straight sets two years ago at the hands of Lleyton Hewitt, who was an off-court admirer as he went through his single-handed backhand repertoire here on Sunday. Last year Wawrinka got to the quarter-finals for the first time, losing to Roger Federer in four tight sets.
He has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon twice, the last time losing to Andy Murray in five sets in 2009. He views that record with the same equanimity as he does his gathering fame and celebrated successes elsewhere – and he retains the respect, bordering on suspicion, for any opponent that all but a few elite players know.
He says of his opening match in the Aegon Championships against Kyrgios: “It’s a tough, tough first round, a big challenge. It’s going to be interesting because it’s the first time I am going to play him. He loves to play on the grass. He has been practising and he’s ready for that. He played so well last year [when he beat Rafael Nadal in the fourth round] and he loves the big matches. We will see how I adapt. If it’s not raining too much, I can practise enough and see how I get ready for this one.”
So it will be a day like most others for one of the game’s most amenable characters – and one of its most devastating hitters, too. For all that grass has humbled him in the past, he will be feared here and at Wimbledon.
