Â鶹APP

Photo by Carine06 from

Top 10 Best Facts about Stan Wawrinka

Stanislas “Stan” Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He has won 3 grand slam titles and has reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 3.

He was born on 28^th March 1985 in Lausanne, Switzerland to a German father Wolfram Wawrinka, and a Swiss mother Isabelle. Wawrinka grew up with his elder brother, Jonathan, and his two younger sisters, Djanaée and Naélla.

Wawrinka lives in Stan, Switzerland, and is currently ranked No. 322 by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

 Here are the top 10 best facts about Stan Wawrinka.

1. He started Playing Tennis at the age of Eight

Wawrinka grew up in Saint-Barthélemy, about 20 km north of Lausanne Wawrinka, and attended the Rudolf Steiner School in Crissier.  He started playing tennis at the age of eight and played once a week until he was eleven when he started to practice three times a week.

He stopped attending regular schooling at age 15 to focus full-time on tennis. However, he continued his schooling by distance education with the French organization CNED, which offered him greater flexibility.

2.  He won Junior French Open in 2003

photo by Carine06 from

Wawrinka started playing international junior events at age 14 and entered the satellite circuit in 2002. He became professional in 2003 and ended the year ranked No. 169.

He compiled an outstanding junior career, winning the Junior French Open in 2003 and reaching as high as No. 7 in the junior world rankings in June 2003

3. Wawrinka had his Grand Slam debut at the French Open

Photo by Tourism Victoria from

Wawrinka had his Grand Slam debut at the French Open He won against 22nd seed and Olympic gold medalist Nicolás Massú in the first round, in four sets. In the second round, he came from two sets down to defeat James Blake. His run ended in the third round losing in four sets to the tournament runner-up Mariano Puerta.

After the French Open, Wawrinka had his first Wimbledon experience but lost in the first round to Fabrice Santoro in four sets. Wawrinka had his first singles final at the Swiss Open but lost to Gastón Gaudio.

Wawrinka won his first ATP title in 2005, at the Croatia Open Umag, when his opponent in the final, Novak Djokovic, retired through fatigue. He reached a then career-high ranking of No. 29 by the end of that year.

4. He Won his First Grand slam Title in 2014

Photo by Victoria Tourism from

In the 2014 Australian open tournament Wawrinka defeated the then No. 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets. The victory was his first win over Nadal in 13 attempts and also made him the first man since Sergi Bruguera in 1993 to beat both of the top two seeds en route to a Grand Slam title.

Wawrinka became the first player to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic in a single Grand Slam tournament.  He was also the second Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title after Federer.

Due to his championship victory at the Australian Open, Wawrinka for the first time in his career reached the top five, becoming No. 3, and the top-ranked Swiss player in the world ahead of Federer the first time.

5. Wawrinka has Various Commercial Endorsements

Wawrinka wears Yonex clothing and shoes and uses the Yonex VCORE 95D racquet with the Yonex Vcore Duel G paint job, formerly playing with a Yonex VCORE Tour 97 paint job.

He uses Babolat’s RPM Blast as his string of choice, opting to string his rackets at 27 kilograms in the main strings and 25 kilograms in the cross strings.

Wawrinka is also an ambassador for the TGV Lyria train service between France and Switzerland, with his photo appearing on the exterior of the high-speed trains.

6. He is a Father of one Daughter

Photo by JC from

Wawrinka married Ilham Vuilloud on 15 December 2009. She was a Swiss television presenter and former fashion model.

The couple gave birth to a girl named Alexia, on 12 February 2010. The couple separated On 4 January 2011, less than one year after their daughter’s birth.

They later reconciled, but Wawrinka posted a statement on his Facebook page announcing their divorce on 19 April 2015.

Wawrinka began dating WTA player Donna Vekić in 2015; their relationship was reported to have ended in May 2019.

7. Wawrinka has Played his Compatriot Roger Federer 26 times

Photo by Carine06 from

Wawrinka’s main rival is his countryman and one of the greatest tennis players of all time Roger Federer.  They have played each other 26 times with Wawrinka winning 3 times and losing 23 times.

While the rivalry is one-sided in Federer’s favor, the two of them have contested some close matches such as the 2014 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters final in which Wawrinka came from behind a set to defeat Federer in three sets to win his first Masters 1000 title.

Despite their on-court rivalry, they are close friends off the court and they have played doubles together on numerous occasions.

 8. He is an Olympic Champion

In the 2008 summer Olympic games held in Beijing, China, Wawrinka teamed up with his compatriot Roger Federer to win the Olympic gold medal in the men’s tennis doubles final.

They defeated Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden in straight sets of  7-6 and 6-4. In the semi-final, they had beaten the favored Americans Bob and Mike Bryan also in straight sets.

9. Clay court is his Favourite Surface

Photo by Fred Romero from

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 court.

Wawrinka considers clay his best and favorite surface and his serve and backhand are his best shots. He is known for his fast serves which has reached as high as 232 kilometers per hour (144 mph).

Prior to the 2014 French Open, he requested and was granted a formal change in his name from “Stanislas Wawrinka” to “Stan Wawrinka”, stating that he plans to use the abbreviated name in tournament draws and press conferences.

10. Wawrinka has Played Nadal 20 times

Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal have played 20 times with Wawrinka winning 3 times and losing 17 times. Although this rivalry has less significance than rivalries with the other members of the Big Four, the pair have met in several prestigious tournaments.

Wawrinka scored his first win against Nadal in their first Grand Slam final, the 2014 Australian Open final in 4 sets, denying Nadal’s double career slam. It was also the only match between the pair not resulting in a straight-set win for either player. Nadal won their second Grand Slam final, at the 2017 French Open.