For Stan Wawrinka, the Olympic Games are over after the 2nd round. However, the love of the fans encourages the 39-year-old from Vaud to savor his career a little longer.
"I'm a legend at my level," said Wawrinka after winning his opening match against Russia's Pavel Kotov. And his current level is a far cry from his best days, when he won three Grand Slam tournaments, including the French Open in 2015. He has slipped to 149th in the world rankings. And as he was not up against a prominent opponent in Australian Alexei Popyrin (ATP 63), the match took place on the small court 14.
Although the temperatures were unbearably high, it was more than well filled. The majority of the spectators kept cheering Wawrinka on with chants such as "everyone together" or "Hop Stan, the fans are here". When the score was 2:3 from his point of view, there was the first wave in the stadium. It got really loud from time to time, but the strong Australian server offered the Swiss few chances. Wawrinka didn't get a break chance, although he said he "didn't play a bad match".
The love of the fans as motivation
The love of the fans is the reason why Wawrinka is still playing. They don't want him to hang up his racket. He can't quite explain this support, although his success speaks for itself. "I've always tried to be myself, to be honest with people," is his further explanation.
However, the reality is that over 20 years on the professional tour have taken their toll and he is no longer as fresh and lively as he used to be. The last time Wawrinka won two matches in a row was when he reached the third round at last year's US Open. With only five wins in the main draw of ATP tournaments this year, he naturally lacks self-confidence.
Pros and cons of the Olympic Village
Wawrinka wanted to experience the Olympic Games once again, which had given him a kind of initial spark for a career he never thought possible with his gold medal in the doubles alongside Roger Federer in 2008. After much deliberation, he decided against living in the Olympic Village in Paris. "It was a difficult decision to make," he admits after losing to Popyrin. "I would have loved to experience living with the other athletes in the Swiss delegation again." But that also requires energy, which is why he left it at one visit.
Despite his popularity, Wawrinka now has to ask himself what to do next. He is still not lacking in motivation or enjoyment of his profession. "I keep playing for these emotions like today," he emphasizes. But the ranking doesn't lie either and could become a problem at some point. He will next go to North America and train on hard courts, explains the Frenchman. However, he is dependent on a wildcard for the US Open, where he triumphed in 2016.
SDA
