MEET STAN WAWRINKA

Stan Wawrinka was always a likeable, watchable and on his day, dangerous tennis player. His flamboyant, powerful baseline game caused problems for players all over the world on every court surface. You could also, on occasion, find him in a New York bar afterwards, adding to his everyman appeal. The idea that he would one day go on to be a member of ‘The Big 5’, as it has now become known, would have raised eyebrows. But, with increased dedication to his craft he started working with Magnus Norman, the former World No.2, who Mats Wilander reckons has since become ‘the best tennis coach in the world’. Wawrinka channelled his focus and ability towards the single goal of becoming the best that he could be. He won the Australian Open, beating Rafael Nadal in the final. Then he thrashed Novak Djokovic to win the French Open. And then he added the US Open crown, again beating Djokovic in the final in September 2016. Stan Wawrinka is now one of the sport’s big guns.