Lily Maxwell
Stan Wawrinka’s farewell season continues next week, as he begins what will be his last-ever clay-court swing.
Starting that journey in Monte Carlo, where he was awarded a wildcard, everyone looked to his portion of the draw when it was initially made.
After all, if he is to beat Sebastian Baez in the first round, a mouth-watering challenge awaits.
Wawrinka could play Carlos Alcaraz in the second round.
If this were to happen, it would be the perfect union of old and new, with a legendary veteran facing a legend of the future.
It’s therefore particularly interesting that he actually recently detailed the biggest difference he’s noticed in tennis across all his years active on the ATP Tour.
Stan Wawrinka shares the big changes on the ATP Tour
Speaking at his Monte Carlo media day, he actually offered up a few key differences from his early years of professional tennis to nowadays.
The 41-year-old began by stating: “When you’re playing, you see the evolution, and you try to adapt to it, so it’s difficult to notice a big change.”
Stan Wawrinka then revealed: “For me, the biggest change has been the balls. The balls completely changed the way you had to play. The game has become more physical, and with changing conditions, the game styles have become more similar on every surface. So it’s complicated to mix it up.
“The schedule has also changed a lot with [most] Masters 1000s going to two weeks. And the level of course is now better.”
When was Stan Wawrinka’s last match?
It does feel like some time since we’ve been given the chance to watch Wawrinka play, particularly given how impressively he started the season.
After all, following a sparkling United Cup campaign, he translated that form to the Australian Open, proving that he’s still more than capable of competing at the highest level by reaching the third round.
Stan Wawrinka or Andy Murray… who is the greater player? Let us know why below 👇
It was a fairytale run, but since his exit in mid-January, he has played just three tournaments, losing early in each of them.
Wawrinka’s last tour-level match came in Dubai, where the eventual champion Daniil Medvedev dismissed him with ease.
However, he has since played a single Challenger match in Napoli, where he lost in three sets to Matteo Martineau.
Wawrinka revealed that he didn’t ask for a wild card at Indian Wells or Miami, instead choosing to focus on the clay swing.
