Stanislas Wawrinka (born March 28, 1985 in Lausanne) is a Swiss
male tennis player. As of May 2008, he is one of two Swiss players in the ATP
top 10 (the other being Roger Federer). His career high is #9, achieved on June
9, 2008. He considers clay his best surface and the backhand his best shot.
He won the gold medal for Switzerland in the men's doubles event at the 2008
Summer Olympics in Beijing, partnering Roger Federer.
Wawrinka stopped attending regular schooling at age 15 to focus
full-time on tennis. However, he continued his schooling by distance education
with French organization CNED, which offered him greater flexibility with studying
times.
Wawrinka started playing international junior events at age
14 and entered the satellite circuit the following year. He compiled an outstanding
junior career winning the 2003 French Open junior championships and finishing
number 14 junior.
Wawrinka, one of four tennis-playing siblings, turned pro in
2002 at the age of 17. By the end of 2005 he hovered just outside the Top 50.
He has a 2–3 career Davis Cup singles record in three ties. He has been
coached since age eight by Dimitri Zavialoff.
In the 2007 Australian Open, Wawrinka reached the 3rd round
to be beaten by second seed Rafael Nadal. He has so far never beaten Nadal,
losing in Melbourne 6–2 6–2 6–2. He showed some impressive
backhand skills, but was unable to deal with Nadal's heavy game.
In October 2006, Wawrinka reached a career high No. 29 and
had high hopes to reach the Top 20 in 2007. But those plans were put on hold
when he suffered a three-month setback, tearing a tendon in his right knee while
practicing for the Swiss Davis Cup team’s tie against Spain in February.
In the 2007 French Open, Wawrinka pushed No. 7 seed Ivan Ljubicic
to four sets before falling in the second round. He also claimed wins over Guillermo
Canas and Juan Ignacio Chela en route to a meeting with Rafael Nadal in the
finals of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart in July. There, Nadal edged the Swiss
in straight sets, 6–4, 7–5.
In the 2007 US Open, Wawrinka reached the fourth round, a stage
he had never reached previously in a Grand Slam event, notably defeating 25th
seed Marat Safin (6–3 6–3 6–3) in an amazing show of talent
in the second round. There, he was ousted by Juan Ignacio Chela at the end of
an impressive 3h40 match (4–6, 6–2, 7–6, 1–6, 6–4).
By reaching the final of the 2008 Master's Series event in
Rome, Wawrinka entered the top 10 for the first time. He lost in the final to
Novak Djokovic.
In the 2008 Olympics, he teamed with Roger Federer in the men's
doubles. On August 15, they beat the favored American Bryan twins, Mike and
Bob, 7-6(6), 6-4 in the semi-finals. They defeated Simon Aspelin and Thomas
Johansson of Sweden in the finals, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3.
The surname Wawrinka is of Polish descent but Stanislas is
only Polish by ancestry. His father Wolfram is German, and his mother Isabelle
is Swiss. Both work on a biodynamic farm helping handicapped people. Wawrinka's
grandparents are Czech. He has one older brother Jonathan, who teaches tennis,
and two younger sisters Djanaee and Naella, who are students and tennis players.
Wawrinka currently lives in Saint-Barthélemy (10 minutes
from Lausanne). His hobbies include movies and music.
