Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka is hoping to return to the pinnacle of men’s tennis once again before he retires from the sport, according to his coach.
Danni Vallverdu, who started to work alongside the Swiss player in 2019, is upbeat over what the future holds following a strong end to this season. Wawrinka reached the quarter-finals of tournaments in both St. Petersburg and Paris. His best Grand Slam performance this year was at the Australian Open where he reached the quarter-finals.
Achieving a overall win-loss record of 15-8 in 2020, Wawrinka started to gain momentum when there was more certainty with his calendar. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic various tournaments was either cancelled or suspended. At one stage professional tennis was halted for a total of five months.
“Once the tour had a little bit more of a structure and we knew that tournaments were going to happen he found his motivation again and we were able to practise with a goal and with objectives in front of us,” Vallverdu told the Reuters news agency.
“The last few events of the year were very encouraging. He’s now ready to go through this training block in December, and hopefully have a full season next year.”
The world No.18 is currently the fifth oldest player in the top 100 at the age of 35. Although he is four years younger than compatriot Roger Federer. Nevertheless Vallverdu believes the desire to be among the best is still there for Wawrinka who hasn’t won a title of any sort since the 2017 Geneva Open. Since the triumph, he has been troubled by injury issues.
“The hunger is definitely there and he wants to make a last push now at the end of his career,” Vallverdu commented on Wawrinka’s goals for the new year. “The goals are not just to win tournaments, but to feel like he’s competitive at a high level.
“It would be unrealistic to say that the goals are to win a Grand Slam. Whether it can happen or not? Of course it can.
“But with his potential and experience he feels if he is competitive against the guys that are at the top, he’s always going to have a chance to achieve big results.”
34-year-old Vallverdu has worked with various top names in the sport. Besides Wawrinka, he has also collaborated with Andy Murray, Thomas Berdych, Grigor Dimitrov and Karolina Pliskova.
Wawrinka’s 2020 season
- Doha Open – semi-finals
- Australian Open – quarter-finals
- Acapulco – quarter-finals
- Prague Challenger – champion
- Prague II Challenger – quarter-finals
- Italian Open – second round
- French Open – third round
- St. Petersburg – quarter-finals
- Vienna – first round
- Paris Masters – quarter-finals
