By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday Could 23, 2025
Paris – Stan Wawrinka has confronted the best gamers that his unbelievable era has ever produced. He has battled Novak Djokovic in Slam finals, and Roger Federer at Wimbledon. However one problem stands tall, above all of them, in keeping with Wawrinka: going through Rafawel Nadal at Roland-Garros.
“I feel his outcomes converse for themselves,” the three-time Grand Slam champion mentioned on Roland-Garros media day. “In my profession, probably the most super problem was going through Rafa on clay, particularly within the French Open. It is all the time been very tough.”
The Swiss went 1-8 towards Nadal on clay, and 3-19 general. He remembers his final match towards Nadal in Paris, a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 drubbing within the 2017 last, vividly.
“I keep in mind the final match we performed, it was the ultimate in 2017,” he mentioned. “It was very tough. He is so assured, so sturdy. He is aware of precisely what he has to do when he performs on clay. It has been my greatest problem ever.”
40-year-old Wawrinka is glad to be part of the primary draw, even when he is aware of his Grand Slam successful days are behind him.
“If I take my age and my bodily situation right this moment, I really feel rather well,” he mentioned. “I want to have higher outcomes. I feel I am doing what is important. Every little thing is a bit longer. It’s important to regulate. It’s important to prepare extra for outcomes which might be not so good as earlier than. You have to relaxation extra to have the ability to prepare extra.
“That is life as it’s. If I am nonetheless capable of play, as I am 40 now, this isn’t so widespread. So I do know the place I am standing, I understand how difficult it could show to be. I feel it is a good problem to try to nonetheless have good performances at my age.”
2015 champion Wawrinka will face Nice Britain’s Jacob Fearnley within the first spherical in Paris.
