TENNIS – The 2014 season is shaping up as the year of Stanislas Wawrinka who clinched his first Master 1000 title in Monte-Carlo with his 4-6 7-6 6-2 over Roger Federer adding to his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. The 28-year-old Lausanne player has moved up to World Number 3 overtaking his illustrious compatriot Roger Federer as the best Swiss player in the ATP Ranking and is now the World Number 1 in the Race to London. Diego Sampaolo
Wawrinka finally managed to win his first Master 1000 title in his third attempt after losing his first two finals in Rome 2008 against Novak Djokovic and in Madrid 2013 against Nadal. The Swiss broke the duopoly of Nadal and Djokovic who totally dominated the circuit winning all the 2013 Master 1000 Tournaments and the first two events of 2014 at Indian Wells and Miami. In 34 of the last 36 previous Master 1000 Tournaments only players belonging to the exclusive Big Four club (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray) had managed to lift trophies. This is the only third time in the past 37 Master 1000 Tournaments that a title has been won by a player other than the Big Four. The other two were Robin Soderling and David Ferrer.
Thanks to his win in the Principality, Wawrinka has moved to Number 1 player in the Race to London, which takes into account only the results achieved in 2014. He has improved his record to 20-3 this year and won six times in six matches against Top-ten players. Wawrinka, who was ranked World Number 17 at the start of 2013, was able to beat Novak Djokovic in the quarter final and Rafa Nadal in the final at the Australian Open and Roger Federer in Monte-Carlo. He broke a 14-match losing streak against Djokovic and beat Nadal for the first time after 12 defeats in a row. Before Monte-Carlo Federer won 11 consecutive matches against his compatriot.
“I did an amazing job. I am very happy to win a Master 1000 so quickly after clinching my first Grand Slam. When I came here, It was more like a test. I knew I was playing good tennis but I didn’t expect to win because the draw was so strong”, said Wawrinka
It was not the first time that Wawrinka managed to beat Federer on the Monte-Carlo clay of the famous Country Club. This was the only win achieved by Wawrinka over Federer in the previous 14 head-to-head matches before last Sunday’s final. Federer lost his second all-Swiss final 14 years after losing against Marc Rosset in Marseille in 2000. “I have never been able to win finals against Swiss players”, said Federer referring to his previous defeat in a all-Swiss final against Rosset and Sunday’s defeat against Wawrinka.
Federer and Wawrinka showed big respect before and after the match because of their friendship. They even practised in the morning before the final.
“It’s always special to play against Federer. We know it’s always a strange match, especially in the final here. He is my best friend on the circuit. We respect each other so much. I am just trying on the court to win the match. Before and after we are very good friends. During the match, we just try everything to win the match”, said Wawrinka.
Federer praised his friend after the Monte-Carlo final and was not so disappointed despite the defeat which prevented him from winning his first Monte-Carlo Tournament.
“Of course, I am very happy for Stan. It’s a huge for him after winning his first Grand Slam, also to win his first Master 1000. To take the opportunities when they are there, that’s the key in a tennis player’s career.So I am very happy for him. I would have loved to win my second title this year but Stan deserved this title because he was tough at the end. It was a great pleasure to share this moment with Stan. It was a tennis celebration on a beautiful court. This was one of those weeks we were able to capitalize on it. Stan did the same at the Australian Open. I didi t in Dubai. It’s definitely a good start to the season for all four of us”, said Federer
Will Wawrinka be able to continue his impressive season and lift other Master 1000 or Grand Slam Tournaments this year ? This is the big question of many tennis experts and fans ahead of the next big clay tournaments in Madrid, Rome and Paris followed by Wimbledon on grass and the US Open on hard-court.
Wawrinka has showed his versatility on all surfaces winning his first Grand Slam on hard court at the Australian Open last January and reaching the semifinal at the US Open on hard court. He also won a grass tournament at s’Hertogenbosch. He has the experience to maturity to continue winning on the big stage.
Secondly, some of his biggest rivals did not show their best form recently. Djokovic won Indian Wells and Miami but he was hampered by a wrist injury during his semifinal against Federer in Monte-Carlo. Djokovic needs a period of rest to treat this problem. Nadal has not reached the Monte-Carlo final for the first time since 2005 and was not the only dominant player on his favourite clay surface but he will have a chance to bounce back this week in Barcelona. However, he will have to defend a lot of points. Federer will now take a break before Madrid waiting for the birth of his child who is expected in the next weeks. Andy Murray, who skipped Monte-Carlo, is practicing in preparation for Madrid.
“I am capable of beating any of the best players. The win in Monte-Carlo has given me an extra motivation and to beat Roger is such an important moment. I believe in myself and in my game and if I can bring this level all the time, I will have a chance to win any match”, said Wawrinka.
