ATP: How much longer will Stan Wawrinka trust the "process"?
Stan Wawrinka celebrated Richard Gasquet in round one of the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Antwerp. Although he found three match points.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Oct 17, 2022, 10:19 pm
Stan Wawrinka, there can be no two opinions, is one of the greatest players in recent tennis history. Yes, the Swiss can even be placed close to legendary status. As is well known, Wawrinka has won three Grand Slam tournaments (on the other hand "only" 13 more), even some of his defeats are legendary. Think of the round of 16 match against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open 2013. A year later, Wawrinka retaliated in the quarterfinals in Melbourne, winning 9: 7 in the fifth set.
The fact that the demands of professional life on the ATP tour have also taken their toll on Stan Wawrinka is nothing new. Not that the now 37-year-old still believes in himself. "Trust the process" has often been heard from his camp in recent years, which Wawrinka has spent a good deal on comeback efforts after injury breaks. Daniel Vallverdu took the same line in an interview with tennisnet in the summer.
Wawrinka loses to Gasquet in Antwerp
However, where exactly this process is supposed to lead can only be vaguely identified. The last time Wawrinka was in a final of an ATP tournament was in Antwerp in 2019. There, where he slipped into the field as number 196 in the world only with a wild card. And with a three-set defeat despite three match points and a break lead in the third round against Richard Gasquet, he was out again.
Can Wawrinka really play for a really big title again? In view of the following generation around Carlos Alcaraz, the established greats like Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev and the still fully motivated legends Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, that would be a sensation.
Because, as can also be seen in the match against Gasquet: The power is still there with Stan Wawrinka. But not the consistency. And also not the killer instinct that distinguished the great Swiss in his prime.