Wawrinka prevails to earn match with Federer
PARIS – This is why Stan Wawrinka went through two operations on his left knee in the span of a month. Why he dealt with the rigors of rehabilitating that joint.
Why he did all the work, on and off the court, required to get back on the grind, to raise his ranking from outside the top 250, to matter again in the sport he loves.
So he could participate in, and win, matches like the 5-hour, 9-minute test of excellence, endurance and emotions that the 34-year-old Wawrinka barely claimed against the 20-yearold, caked-in-clay Stefanos Tsitsipas by a 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 8-6 score Sunday at the French Open to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time in two years. And so he could advance to what comes now: a matchup Tuesday against his friend and countryman Roger Federer, who hasn’t dropped a set so far in the tournament.
“That’s the reason why came back. … I love and enjoy to play in front of people, to play in the biggest tournaments you can play. Today was something really special,” said Wawrinka, who won the 2015 championship at Roland Garros for one of his three major trophies. “For sure, when I’m on the court, I try to enjoy and remember, also, everything I have done to be here.”
Exhausted as he was by a match finally decided by a backhand that floated past Tsitsipas and landed on the outside edge of a line, Wawrinka still possessed the energy to joke about facing Federer, who has won 22 of their previous 25 meetings. When a reporter, perhaps trying to offer some hope, pointed out that Federer, 37, is the older man, Wawrinka smiled and responded: “Yeah, but he is much better than me, also. So never forget that.”
The No. 6-seeded Tsitsipas was not in any mood to laugh: He said this close-as-can-be loss – he accumulated more total points, 195-194 – caused him to shed post-match first time in a long time.
“Never experienced something like this in my life. I feel very disappointed,” said Tsitsipas, who upset Federer at the Australian Open in January en route to his first Grand Slam semifinal.
Asked moments later what lessons he might have gleaned, Tsitsipas looked blankly ahead and answered in a monotone: “I have no idea. My mind is so empty right now. I cannot even think, so I don’t know.”
As the sun blazed, unobstructed by clouds, and the temperature soared toward 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Celsius), Wawrinka and the diving-for-volleys Tsitsipas provided by far the best theater around the grounds.
Spectators at Court Suzanne Lenglen cheered wildly for Wawrinka when he egged them on, cupping his ear or flapping his arms or even blowing a kiss. Tsitsipas’ electric, net-rushing style earned support, too, although he chastised himself early on for playing “like a freaking zombie!”
The key, ultimately, was this: Wawrinka saved 22 of 27 break points, including 8 of 8 in the fifth set.
“I was so close. So close. I gave him room to do whatever he likes, all those break points,” Tsitsipas said, pausing frequently between words. “So many break points. So many.” tears for the