French Open 2015 Men's Finals: Stan Wawrinka Win Enhances Wimbledon Title Chance
In the wake of Sunday's French Open triumph over Novak Djokovic, Stanislas Wawrinka has seen his chances of repeating that achievement at Wimbledon dramatically increased.
The odds seemed stacked against the Swiss, but a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory saw the No. 8 seed stun Djokovic at Roland Garros and deny the world No. 1 of his maiden French Open crown.
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Wawrinka had every right to be selfish, of course, as he too was seeking a first French Open trophy in what was his first ever appearance in a Paris final, snatching the opportunity with both hands.
At his best, we've seen Wawrinka produce wonders against the world's finest and as the official Roland Garros Twitter account illustrated, Sunday's result was no fluke:
If that same sense of initiative can be maintained in London at the end of this month, he'll be sure to contend highly once again, but history sits against the world No. 9.
Of all the Grand Slam tournaments, it's at Wimbledon that Wawrinka has endured the least success and a win percentage of just over 56 percent is by some margin his worst of all the majors:
| Australian Open | 28–9 | 75.68 |
| French Open | 27–10 | 72.97 |
| Wimbledon | 13–10 | 56.52 |
| U.S. Open | 26–10 | 72.22 |
| Total | 94–39 | 70.67 |
Having said that, where once the 30-year-old was somewhat erratic and at times ambiguous in his approach, we may now be witnessing the arrival of a calmer, more self-assured customer.
After all, it was only last year Wawrinka claimed his first Grand Slam trophy at the 2014 Australian Open, making the semi-final of that competition in 2015 and now adding a second major in swift succession.
To put Wawrinka's recent evolution into more detailed context, he's advanced to the quarter-final stage or further in five of the past six majors; before the start of 2014, he had managed that feat just four times in his career.
And even though his rise has been emphatic, Wawrinka continues to cast an understated figure when compared alongside the likes of Djokovic and Roger Federer—another giant he downed at Roland Garros.
What sets Wawrinka apart from the rest of the elite may be a sense of humility, with Tom Perrotta of the Wall Street Journal and Christopher Clarey of the New York Times detailing even his surprise at Sunday's outcome:
To succeed at Wimbledon, Wawrinka must overcome his very apparent shortfall on grass, which has so far prevented him from going past the tournament's quarter-final stages.
That being said, it was at the 2014 tournament he managed that career best and if the last year is any indicator, he's only improved further since then.
Like a fine wine, Wawrinka is a part of that rare breed seemingly only getting better with age, and while some hit their peaks as a youngster, the Swiss is developing nicely despite his age "disadvantages."
One of the strongest backhands in tennis and an increasingly rounded skill set lend themselves well to Wawrinka, and it could be the unblocking of certain mental barriers lead to his best Wimbledon yet in 2015.
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