Three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka has credited his fellow Davis Cup team mate Roger Federer for helping him during the early stages of his career.
Wawrinka, who is four years younger than Federer, said it is ‘amazing’ to belong to the same country as him. The triumphs of the 33-year-old has certainly been overshadowed by that of his opponent, who recently won his 101st ATP title at the Miami Masters. Nevertheless, Wawrinka has won 16 ATP titles so far in his career and is ranked sixth on the all-time list for most career money earned. His tally currently stands at $32,152,658.
“We have known each other for many, many years. When I arrived on the tour I was still young, still out of the ranking.” Wawrinka said during an interview with lifestyle magazine Haute Living.
“He (Federer) really helped me a lot—I had the chance to practice with the best player in the world. He was number one and getting some tips [from him] and some help to get into the tour was great.”
The duo has also shared success together. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing the pair clinched a gold medal in the men’s doubles competition. Becoming the first and so far only male Swiss doubles team to achieve that accolade in Olympic history. Six years later Wawrinka and Federer guided Switzerland to the Davis Cup title in 2014.
“It’s always been special to be around him, to be with him, to be friends with him and to play against him.” Wawrinka explained. “It’s always been really difficult, not only because we’re friends, but also because he’s the best player ever to play this game. And any player who is playing against him has always had some problem.”
On the ATP Tour, Federer dominates his rival in their head-to-head with a lead of 22-3. All three of his losses has occurred on the clay. A surface Federer is set to make a comeback on following a three-year absence next month. Their latest clash occurred at Indian Wells with the former world No.1 prevailing 6-3, 6-4.
Although there is certainly a high amount of respect between the two players, everything hasn’t always been smooth running. At the 2014 ATP Finals, Federer’s wife Mirka came under scrutiny from the media. During a tense-three set match, Mirka was accused of heckling Wawrinka and was overheard calling him a ‘cry baby.’ The two players diffused the conflict shortly afterwards.
Looking ahead to the future, Wawrinka is hoping to follow the example of Federer by playing longer into his career. At the age of 37, Federer is the second oldest player in the top 100 after Ivo Karlovic.
“I think what he’s doing is unbelievable at his age, to still play that well—it’s something that other athletes can look up too. He’s showing that physically, you can still be at the top and stay longer in your career. That’s great for me to see also.” He concluded.
Wawrinka will kick-start his campaign on the clay is just over a week’s time at the Monte Carlo Masters. Meanwhile, Federer will not play another competition until next month’s Madrid Masters.
