Grading Stan Wawrinka's 2015 Season and Looking Ahead to 2016
Swiss tennis strongman Stan Wawrinka proved in 2015 that his late-career rise is no fluke. The No. 4-ranked player muscled his way to his second major championship in as many years and established that he is a big-match player who will one day be in the Hall of Fame.
In recent years, the rugged superstar has worked hard with his fitness and confidence to establish himself as a contender. When he has control of his offensive rhythm, he is capable of blowing anyone off the court, even World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Wawrinka became one of tennis’ biggest stories with his French Open upset over the determined Djokovic, who would have gladly shoved aside all of his other big trophies to own the Musketeers Cup. Ironman Stan was the enigmatic antagonist, a character who could play behind the scenes before striking down the main cast and starring on the front stage.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Although the French Open title most defined Wawrinka in 2015, it was certainly not an easy year. There were tennis challenges, off-court turmoil and soul-searching following his great conquest at Roland Garros. It was only recently that Wawrinka admitted he felt "empty" after his greatest triumph, as he told Simon Briggs of the Telegraph:
"When you win a big title like the French Open, it’s tough. The emotion in doing this is really up and down. Afterwards, you feel a little bit lonely, a bit of depression mentally. Because it’s so much stress and emotion, so many people around—and then it’s completely empty. That’s the beauty of tennis but also the challenge because it’s not always easy.
"
Through it all, the barrel-chested, bearded star continued to hit his heavy groundstrokes as the year grew longer and the courts got faster. How do we assess his year, and what can we expect from him in 2016?
Wawrinka is the focus in our weekly December superstar profile, the second of five articles that evaluate the top five players in men’s tennis. If you missed last week’s rating and outlook on superstar Rafael Nadal, you may check in here.
Grade: A-
Any year in which a major title is won is a great year. There’s no question that Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal would gladly trade in their 2015 accomplishments for Wawrinka’s French Open title. That alone puts him in the “A” range, and his 55-18 record with additional titles at Chennai, Rotterdam and Tokyo is not too shabby.
Wawrinka had a few other highs, including semifinal appearances at the Australian and U.S. Opens, and he almost won the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He returned to the semifinals at London’s WTF for the third consecutive year, despite getting crushed by Nadal in their round-robin match.
Curiously, Wawrinka was more inconsistent than expected at Masters 1000 tournaments, including flops at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome. These were all slower surfaces that suited his style, but he underperformed with losses to Robin Haase, Adrian Mannarino, Grigor Dimitrov (twice) and Federico Delbonis.
A lot of this might also be explained by the struggles Wawrinka had with his personal life, according to his comments to Kevin Mitchell in the Guardian, who wrote that Wawrinka had to "separate his emotions on and off the court."
“You have to make sacrifices,” Wawrinka said. “You have to work out, to be relaxed in your mind, to focus on what you’re doing.” That he was able to turn around and put it all together at Roland Garros was remarkable considering his lackluster form and prior results.
All in all, Wawrinka is worthy of at least an A-minus.
There was his legacy boost in 2015. Wawrinka will forever be linked to his minirivalry with Djokovic at the Australian and French Opens. Since 2013, they have warred in their epic five-sets Australian Open trilogy, which largely consisted of Wawrinka blasting shots through the court while Djokovic played retrieving offense and hoped his shot precision could wear down the Swiss and cause him to misfire.
This year was the rubber match in Melbourne, where Djokovic outlasted Wawrinka for the 2013 title and the Swiss turned the tables on his way to the title in 2014. The 2015 semifinal match was uglier with more errors and struggling shots from both players, culminated by Djokovic’s fifth-set bagel victory.
Months later at Roland Garros, most observers and fans expected Djokovic to finally get his French Open title, and after taking the first set from Wawrinka in the final, it looked like he was on his way. Then Wawrinka unleashed “the match of my life,” according to the New York Times, with 60 winners, clutch saves and remarkable poise. Power defeated precision for one day at least.
Outlook 2016
Although he has hit his tennis peak, Wawrinka knows that Father Time’s footsteps are closing in. The Swiss will celebrate his 31st birthday in March, which should mean that the ATP grind will make it increasingly more difficult for post-match recoveries.
But aging stars are the new fad of the tour, and Wawrinka is also more understanding of how important it is to be fit, play with mental strength and exude confidence when the matches are biggest. Experience and failures have been his biggest teachers, and he can compensate by adding greater wisdom and optimum schedule pacing.
Wawrinka figures to be a huge factor at Melbourne, and he is probably the player that Djokovic fears most. However, it will be a deep and dangerous field vying for the Australian Open title, and rivals like Murray, Federer and Nadal will all look to double their efforts.
Add in Wawrinka's inconsistant momentum and tennis shifts, and nobody can really call him the favorite. Even so, there is always respect for his potential to wreck the top superstars. He's a proven threat who could very well seize a third major title.
Wawrinka will likely do better during the spring tour where he can grab more ranking points and, perhaps, another Masters 1000 title.
By the time May rolls around, he will be at least a sound bite through the endless dueling symphony of articles that assess more popular and decorated superstars. Wawrinka will not be expected to win another French Open title, especially with Djokovic’s eternal quest and Nadal’s best chance at redemption.
Then again, nothing has ever really been easy for Ironman Stan, and he might be the one most equipped to handle the disparity of tennis highs and lows. “Sometimes I lose some confidence in myself,” Wawrinka said in New York Magazine. “As long as you balance it all, it's not too bad, but sometimes I think the balance is not in the middle.”
With everyone expecting Wawrinka to contend in Melbourne or Paris, maybe he will shock the world by winning Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. Nobody's betting on that, but nothing is out of reach for the ultimate wild card who knows a thing or two about winning majors.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
