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Is Stan Wawrinka a Contender for the US Open?

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With six Slams in a row going to elder statesmen Federer and Nadal, and the only break in the chain coming from another Big Four guy, Djokovic, men’s tennis is desperate for a new narrative. With the next next next generation only just starting to get itself noticed, some of the “Dark Horse” murmurings for the US Open have included multiple-Slam-winner Stan Wawrinka. As one of only three guys to break the stranglehold the Big Four have had on Slams for something like 2 billion years, it’s not surprising that some folks are hoping he might shake things up once again. But let’s take a few minutes and really explore if the road Stan’s taken in 2018 is one that leads to a USO victory.

A mere two years ago, Stan Wawrinka nabbed his third Major title, winning the US Open final from then #1 Novak Djokovic in four sets. Over the previous two years, the Swiss tennis pro had gone from “surprise” Slam winner at the 2014 AO to being quite firmly in the conversation of Slam contenders as one of the — expanded just to accommodate him — “Big Five.”

Unfortunately, Stan didn’t get a chance to defend his USO title. After a grueling 5-set victory in the Roland Garros semifinals over Andy Murray, he struggled in the finals against Rafa Nadal, and the transition to grass proved to be disastrous. A first-round exit at Wimbledon and a confirmed knee injury led to two serious knee surgeries that left the star on crutches for eight weeks, and away from the tour until a brief return at the start of 2018. At the Australian Open, Stan confirmed that he’d feared never playing again, and over the course of this year, he’s expressed several times how difficult the snail-like pace on the road to recovery has been both physically and emotionally.

Something that was immediately evident when Stan made his return from the injury layoff was that his tennis was still there. There were immediate glimmers of the stunning shotmaking that gained him so many fans in the first place, particularly the blasting backhands crosscourt. As the months progressed, the backhand grew even stronger, but that left knee had made the forehand more unreliable, and there was less pop on his second serve.

Most glaring was the movement. Stan has never been as fleet-footed as the more lithe players, and has always preferred slower surfaces that give him time to set up, but he could still typically hold his own in a rally long enough to work up to a kill shot. Post-injury, there were a lot more balls getting by him, and often his legs seemed caught in quicksand, slow to respond or easily tripped up if the player changed direction on him.

Stan cute ass hot butt pics return pivot Diego Schwartzman match Cincinnati Masters

As the year went on, and Stan lost some matches it seemed he could have won, it also became clear that confidence in that knee was also hampering his movement. It’s an understandable issue: Federer said after his long-running back problems that it took awhile to get comfortable rushing the net again, because of that fear of making a sharp move and aggravating the back. After his knee injury, Benoit Paire said that it was a struggle in every match trying to decipher if the pain in his knee was a normal pain from healing or a horrific new injury. Likewise, Stan was continually consulting his doctor to make sure his aches and pains were not any kind of a warning sign.

Stan Wawrinka bent over knee pain holding leg frustration pics ass photos

With the stops and starts to his comeback this year, Stan ended up missing out on the protected ranking and he’s needed wildcards to compete in this summer season. The Canadian Masters actually denied him one, until the also-returning-from-injury Murray dropped out and a WC slot opened for the also-three-time Slam winner. He made good on the opportunity, overcoming two breadstick starts against Marton Fucsovics and Nick Kyrgios before triumphing in three sets. He lost in the R16 to Rafa Nadal, with a much tighter scoreline than most opponents have managed this year, 7-5, 7-6(4).

It was a notable week in his comeback. It was the first time all facets of Stan’s game seemed to be coming together, the shotmaking and precision and grit. Assessing those three matches a week later in Cincy, Stan had also noticed the big notch up in his level of play.

“Last week were really important and really good for myself, for my tennis, for my confidence. I play some good match, tough match, tough win by not playing well, but then getting the confidence back…I’m happy to see where I am right now.”

Wawrinka forehand happy face photos

Canada was also the first time since the Sofia Open in February that Stan had played three matches in a row. His draw in Cincy promised a difficult follow-up to what had been his toughest physical test in months, with an opening match against Diego Schwartzman and a second round against Kei Nishikori. Aside from being talented, high-ranked players, these two are the type to run you ragged before they’re done with you.

We here at Tennis Inside Out were on site at Cincy, so let’s dig even deeper into how Stan dealt with those challenges in his final lead-up to the US Open.

Stan seemed to be continuing his stellar form when he kicked off the tournament against Schwartzman. He flew through the first set, keeping up with his speedy Argentinian opponent in lightning-fast rallies.


 
Diego fought back, and Stan threw in one of those inevitable — even pre-surgery — dodgy service games. He lost the second set, 4-6, and the roller coaster continued into the third. Stan roared his signature “COME ONNNNN!!!“, hit searing winners and asked for some crowd love, then grinned sheepishly as the Grandstand collectively giggled over his four lets in a row.


 
Eventually he prevailed, 6-3 in the third. It was another victory for Stan in the dig-out-of-trouble department.
 
Stan Wawrinka hot ass cute butt sexy bum sidestep movement Yonex racquet photos pics

Two nights later, after a lengthy rain delay, Stan got off to a slower start against Nishikori. Caught up in several long rallies, Stan was brilliantly slicing shots that barely skimmed the net, but attempts at a finishing shot often sailed long.


 
We shouldn’t laugh at other people’s pain, but Stan’s team looked hilariously distressed at this point. And yes, that’s Federer’s coach and Stan’s frequent adviser Severin Luthi woefully clutching his head.

Donna Vekic Seve Luthi Stan's team upset Nishikori match

Stan recovered quickly, however, making subtle changes in his tactics in order to shorten points and get control of any rallies. He reclaimed an early break, then fought hard to wrestle the set away. It was Nishikori’s team’s turn to look concerned.

Wawrinka pivot fast moves Nishikori team

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An ace capped off the set, and Stan grabbed an early lead in the next one. He failed to capitalize on further break points, but the one break was enough to march to the end for a 6-4 6-4 victory.


 


 
The next day didn’t go as planned. Rain washed out most of the matches, and Stan waited until late in the evening to get on court, only to barely get play started before it started pouring again.

The tournament cancelled the rest of the schedule, leaving many players with a potential two-match day on Friday.

Luckily, Friday’s forecast of lots more rain turned out to be inaccurate.

With cloudy skies overhead and many of the spectators filling Center Court to see Federer, Stan started his 3rd round against Marton Fucsovics on time, and he seemed determined to finish it faster than their match the previous week.

The Stanimal repeatedly urged himself with a low “Come on” and rolled on forward with intensity and efficiency.

Stan victory stare down angry eyes black and white Yonex kit white shorts

His only wobble came late in the second set, when his urgency to complete the match caused him to rush a bit and make some mistakes. He corrected the issue quickly, and closed out the match at 6-4, 6-3.

The big news? This was the first time in 2018, and actually the first time since the French Open 2017, that Stan had won three matches in a row.

Stan the Man cute butt sexy peach ass pics return stance tennis photos

But now here was the big test, a second match to play on Friday against a daunting H2H record. Perennially the Swiss number 2, Stan has always found it most difficult to play against the numero uno of all things, Roger Federer. Even as Stan 2.0, he retains the vulnerabilities that the Maestro knows how to exploit, particularly on speedier surfaces.
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Vulnerabilities aside, Stan’s quarterfinal match against Roger was perhaps the most fantastic tennis we have seen from him in quite some time. Listen to how silent the crowd is as they witness the one-hander to one-hander exquisiteness…
 

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Stan sprinted through the first set tiebreak, and the incredible rallies continued into the second set. Unlike the previous matches, however, we finally started to see Stan get tripped up like he had earlier in the year, the feet getting caught up in the split-step, or getting to a ball a half-step too late. As he does, Federer also played a little bit of the mental game with Stan, taking extra time to get a fresh racquet before the tiebreak, stalling just enough to simultaneously irritate Stan and get him thinking about the tiebreak.

Fed got the early minibreak and got himself to a third set. Bizarrely, the match was suspended when thunder rumbled in the distance and several bolts of lightning flickered amongst the clouds. The expected rainstorm never materialized, however, and the match resumed about 20 minutes later, much to the surprise of the folks seeking shelter and a hamburger break out in the food court. Not that we’re speaking from personal experience or anything.

Stanimal scream Stan Wawrinka frustrated yell shout gesture angry Stanley pics photos Yonex racquet Cincinnati

Unfortunately, from this point on, the match took a familiar Fedrinka turn, with Fed quickly rolling to a 6-2 victory. Stan seemed to finally run out of gas, the two weeks of sustained play including two matches in one day perhaps catching up to him, his legs locking up as his adrenaline faded in that 20-minute delay.

Roger Stan hug at net Cincinnati Masters 2019

It’s tough to truly judge, though, how much this had to do with Stan’s current physical stamina or if it was just another build-up of frustration and a loss of focus to give the victory to his long-time on-court nemesis. Whatever the case, Stan was feeling good about the past two weeks in his post-match press conference.

“This week again I’m playing some good tennis, some big tennis. I think it’s improving, getting there. I need to keep doing what I’m doing, keep working the right way.

Again, I make quarterfinal already here, beating some really good guys. Tonight I was really close. Even though I lost 6-2 in the third, I think it could have been different, but I’m positive and happy with myself. I need to keep being patient.”

It may be a little easier for Stan to be patient after these two weeks, because after months of tiny, incremental steps of progress, things have taken a giant leap forward. The week in Cincy revealed a much-fitter Stan who finally started to really get his feet under him, to fall into a comfortable rhythm on court, and have the confidence to go for the shots that made him a champion player.

That confidence was seemingly helped by a rather enthusiastic crowd welcoming Stan back to the tournament he missed last year. Over five years ago, we wrote a tribute to Stan, about how the anonymous-dude-practicing-with-Federer had begun showing Cincy spectators the absolute fire he could bring to a match.

While the Fed shadow will always loom large, the difference in Stan’s reception was evident the moment we entered the packed court for Stan’s first match.


 
After his second round against Nishikori, the emcee noted how much the crowd had been cheering for Wawrinka. Stan thanked the crowd for their enthusiastic support with his typically conflicted expression, an amusing mix of gratitude and skepticism that he will live up to the adoration.

Crowd love for Stanimal Applause from Stan Wawrinka Cincinnati Masters 2018

Western and Southern Open Stan Wawrinka thumbs up victory over Nishikori

“It’s great for me, amazing,” Stan said of the fan response in his final press conference. “Especially I was out for a long period of time, I didn’t play last year here. For me, it’s great to be back, to play in the Grandstand, to have a lot of support, to see that they are happy to see me back, trying to push me, to cheer me. Sometimes I use them to get more energy like I did the two first match. So yeah, I’m really happy. That’s one of the reasons why I keep playing tennis. It’s to get those atmosphere, playing late on Grandstand with packed stadium, with some fans, and you feel good on the court. you enjoy. You enjoy what you’re doing, and you realize that all the tough months was worth it.”

So, what does all this tell us about Stan at the US Open? Realistically speaking, it’s a lot to expect for Stan to cruise through seven 5-set matches in two weeks, when the week in Cincy marked the first time in over a year that he’s played four matches in a row. When Stan won the USO in 2016, after an insane 5-set battle against Daniel Evans in the 3rd round, he had to play four 4-set matches to nab the trophy. That adds up to a lot more tennis than Stan has logged on a match court in quite a while.

Stan Wawrinka service motion black and white speckled kit photos pics

There is still plenty of inconsistency in Stan’s form, with some kinks to be worked out in all areas of his game. The good news is that some of the problem areas improved greatly with a boost in confidence, meaning any physical issues Stan has are not hampering him as much as it might have earlier seemed. This seems like a good spot to include one of my fave pics from the tournament, where Stan is simultaneously completing the follow-through on a backhand and running for the next shot. That awesome multitasking is an extremely positive sign in Stan’s tennis.

Roger Federer match Stan Wawrinka backhand follow through sprint movement

We’ll learn a lot when he plays his first round on Monday, once again against Grigor Dimitrov. Stan beat him in four tough sets at Wimbledon this year (also cruelly in the first round), but Grigor had won the previous four meetings on three different surfaces. All this talk about physical and mental fitness sustained over two weeks could be quickly moot if Stan can’t wrestle his way past the Bulgarian once again. (Update: Stan smoked through the first two sets, 6-3, 6-2. He unfortunately had an MTO for a back/hip issue at the start of the third set, but rallied from a break down to take the final set 7-5. He’s on to the next round.)

Stan himself has not actually been planning on big things for 2018, calling it instead a “transition year.” The goal is simply to get better, get as many matches in as possible, and get the ranking up so he doesn’t need wildcards by the end of the year. Most people don’t include “grab a 4th Slam win” in something they’re labeling A Transition Year.

Still, Stan did acknowledge that the tough three-setters he’s pulled through in the last couple weeks bodes well for the longer matches one can expect at the US Open. And Stan has always been rather unpredictable when it comes to both wins and losses. His breakthrough in 2013 was an epic 5-set masterpiece against Djokovic, ending with a soul-crushing loss that would have permanently discouraged many players — but instead it kickstarted Stan’s belief in his abilities and led to his first Slam win the following January.

The Stanimal is certainly doing all he can to prepare himself. In New York this week, he’s practiced with Djokovic, Nadal, the #NextGen wunderkind Stefanos Tsitsipas, and of course, Federer.


 
An incredibly extensive knee surgery, a season with big gaps in play due to recovery setbacks, some roller-coaster wins at two Masters events, and a dodgy third set against a not-exactly-100-percent Federer doesn’t exactly scream “SLAM VICTORY.” But it’s been clear to everyone watching that Stan has not forgotten how to play tennis during his difficult year, and his time in Cincy proved he’s still capable of producing some breathtaking tennis and strategizing and fighting his way to multiple wins.

And if anyone is going to laugh in the face of impossibility and medieval broadsword his way through seven rounds of tennis, it’ll be Sir Stan the Man, and we’ll be totally here for it if that happens.

Airborne forehand from Stan Wawrinka Federer match Cincy

Let us know what you think about Stan’s USO chances! Drop us a comment below, or let us know on Twitter @TennisInsideOut. Please RT and share everywhere if you enjoyed this post!



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