Stan Wawrinka - the old war horse pulls the cart out of the dirt
Stan Wawrinka's return to the Swiss Davis Cup team after a break of more than eight years found a crowning glory in Trier with the win against Daniel Altmaier.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Feb 04, 2023, 09:33 pm
At the penultimate point of the match between Stan Wawrinka and Daniel Altmaier, there were suddenly two things that had been sorely missed before - from a Swiss point of view: the backhand along the line, which also leads to winning a point. And then this gesture with his index finger on his forehead, which Wawrinka established in his prime in the ATP circus. And which has since been imitated by players who have not come close to the successes of the now 37-year-old.
Let's face it, Stan Wawrinka is, pardon me, a bloody legend. Anyone who wins three Grand Slam tournaments at a time when only Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer otherwise win the big trophies deserves this assessment (which of course also applies to Sir Andy Murray). But let's face it, the days when Wawrinka could shoot points from the baseline are long gone.
Wawrinka uses the unexpected opportunity
Against Altmaier, it was pure will (to survive?) that carried Wawrinka to victory, maybe routine, almost certainly the fact that he didn't want to disappoint his teammates. It's no coincidence that Leandro Riedi and Dominic Stricker are ahead of Wawrinka in the ATP charts. As does Daniel Altmaier, by the way.
Of course, it speaks for the old master that he took advantage of the unexpected chance that Marc-Andrea Huesler won against Alexander Zverev. And that he was able to turn the momentum that Altmaier had on his side after winning the second set.
Ovations from the audience - when marching in
The day before the competition in Trier started, Stan Wawrinka said that he was putting in so much work because he loved playing in front of a large audience. He was allowed to do that in Trier too. The spectators gave him the biggest ovations of all players when he marched in on Friday, after the match point was used it was dead quiet in the Arena Trier.
Only his colleagues and the handful of Swiss fans who had traveled with him showed their joy. Rightly. The old war horse pulled the cart out of the dirt again in his first Davis Cup match since 2014. And whetted the appetite for the intermediate round in September.