Stanislas “Stan” Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 4 in men’s singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have played on the ATP Tour. Wawrinka is currently the top-ranked male Swiss player in the world rankings and tenth overall.
Wawrinka is of Polish and Swiss heritage. He was born in Switzerland to a Polish father and Swiss mother, both of whom were professional tennis players who met as students at the University of Tennessee (on a tennis scholarship) under legendary coach and tennis player Bill Johnson.
He is currently ranked number 3 in the world
He won the French Open in 2014, defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final. He was also a runner-up to Andy Murray at the 2013 French Open and to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open this year.
In the middle of his prime, he has been ranked as high as World no. 3 in November 2014. In July 2016, Wawrinka was again ranked at No. 3 after reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon.
Early career
Wawrinka started playing international junior events at age 14 and entered professional tournaments the following year. He spent his first years on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he had little success. His first match in the main draw of an ATP World Tour tournament was in 2004 at the Geneva Open, where he lost to Sébastien Grosjean in three sets.
Wawrinka soon broke into the world’s top 100. His first ATP World Tour singles title was in 2009 at the Croatia Open Umag, where he defeated top-seed and No. 5 David Ferrer in straight sets.
who won the us open 2016
Stan Wawrinka won the us open 2016 after defeating world no. 6 Novak Djokovic in four sets by 6–7, 6–4, 7–5, 6–3. It was Wawrinka’s third Grand Slam title and his first win at the US Open.
Wawrinka was himself beaten by Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Wawrinka exited the 2012 US Open early by losing in four sets to Jerzy Janowicz in the third round.
Playing style and reputation
Possessing one of the strongest one-handed backhands on tour, Wawrinka is characterized as a powerful offensive baseliner capable of playing well on most surfaces, especially on clay and hard courts.
He is known for his fast serve which has reached as high as 232 kilometers per hour (144 mph). His forehand, considered a weakness early in his career, has improved significantly and is now a big weapon in his game. Wawrinka is known by the nicknames “Stanimal” and “Stan the Man” for both his play style and ability to win in big matches, particularly between the 2014 Australian Open and the 2016 US Open.
