Stan Wawrinka, reflecting on his encounters with the sport’s titans, described Novak Djokovic as the “perfect tennis player” when asked about his battles against the ‘Big Three’ during his illustrious career.
A former world No. 3, Wawrinka had his fair share of showdowns against Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, having faced them a combined 75 times. His career highlights include a remarkable win over Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final, which secured his first Grand Slam title, as well as victories over Djokovic in the finals of the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open.
Despite these significant triumphs, however, Wawrinka’s head-to-head record against Djokovic paints a different picture, with the Swiss trailing 21-6 in their overall encounters. Yet, when speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Wawrinka admitted that he always felt a sense of enjoyment when facing Djokovic, regardless of the one-sided scorelines.
“I think I lost more than 20 times to Novak, but he’s the one I was always happy to play against,” Wawrinka said, acknowledging the challenge that Djokovic presented. He also recalled his 2014 ATP Finals loss, where he was defeated 6-0, 6-3 by the Serbian: “Even though I lost in the 2014 ATP London final, I enjoyed playing against him.” Wawrinka went on to explain why: “He hits the ball so cleanly. You feel like, even if he destroys you, you’re kind of happy because you’ve played the perfect tennis player.”
Beyond Djokovic, Wawrinka’s encounters with Nadal and Federer were equally daunting. He trails Nadal 3-19 and Federer 3-23 in their respective head-to-heads. One of the most crushing losses came in the 2017 French Open final, where Wawrinka was overwhelmed by Nadal, managing to win only six games in a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 defeat. This victory marked Nadal’s 10th Roland Garros title and added to his dominance on clay.
Wawrinka acknowledged the difficulty of competing against all three giants but singled out his loss to Nadal in Paris as the toughest challenge of his career. “Well, they’re all tough,” he admitted, “but I think Rafa on clay at the French Open was the toughest.” He elaborated on the brutal nature of Nadal’s game, particularly his relentless high-bouncing shots: “You feel like he’s coming at you with every single ball. You don’t see any way to put a winner past him or to get him out of the court.”
Despite Federer and Nadal now stepping away from the sport, Wawrinka, who will turn 40 in March, remains an active competitor on the ATP Tour. Earlier this month, the Swiss veteran made his 19th Australian Open main draw appearance, where he was eliminated in the first round by Lorenzo Sonego in four sets after receiving a wildcard entry.
Additionally, Wawrinka participated in the Open Occitanie in Montpellier this past week, though his tournament run was cut short in the opening match by Arthur Cazaux. Although his career is entering its later stages, Wawrinka’s passion for the game remains undiminished as he continues to compete against the next generation of players.