Is Stan Wawrinka Training at Lionel Messi and Neymar’s Home Ground at PSG?
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Stan Wawrinka has not won a Grand Slam title since the US Open 2016. Even though he has caused some great upsets in the sport, many fans believe that the Swiss star lacks consistency. Currently recovering from a foot injury, Wawrinka is trying his level best to return to the ATP Tour. He has been training in Paris on the Paris Saint-Germain facility, arguably the most expensive and exclusive football team in history which is also the club where one of the biggest names in football – Lionel Messi and Neymar play for.
The Swiss player has a connection with Al-Khelaifi, the owner of PSG. Al-Khelaifi is also the President of the Qatari Tennis Association and director of the ATP tournament in Doha. Surprisingly, he has even represented Qatar as a player in the Davis Cup.
Even though Wawrinka is not training along with the club’s players like Messi, Mbappe, Neymar, and others, the teams’ doctors and physiotherapists are helping him out. As of now, Wawrinka’s topmost priority is to heal his Achilles tendon. For that, two health professionals of PSG are working day in and out with him. One of them is Doctor Christophe Baudot, who has tennis experience as a doctor for the Moroccan Davis Cup team.
When and where Stan Wawrinka will return to the tennis circuit is still open. His management has not yet responded to repeated requests. One thing is certain; Stan Wawrinka is currently in the best of hands in Paris although fans hope that Stan Wawrinka recovers soon and returns to the court quickly.
“Resigning is not an issue but life on tour is very special,” says Stan Wawrinka who last played in March 2021
Tennis is a cruel and lonely sport. It knows only a few winners, but many losers. You can’t hide behind other players on a bad day, you are constantly on display, not only having a duel with your opponent on the other side of the net, but also with yourself. In a world like this, it is unusual to show your vulnerability. Having said that, Swiss star Stan Wawrinka has been a victim of the cruel nature of tennis.
Along with Roger Federer, Wawrinka is the problem child in Swiss tennis. In March, the 36-year-old had to undergo an operation on his left foot. At the time, he had a small intervention that went well. But in June, Wawrinka had to go under the knife again.
Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the US Open missed the three-time Grand Slam winner who played his last game on March 9th in Dubai.
In an exclusive interview with Aargauerzeitung.ch, Wawrinka revealed that he has been going through a tough time lately. The Swiss player, in his prime was the favorite to replace the ‘Big 3’ from the pedestal and take their place had it not been for injuries.
“There are many things you don’t know about athletes. About what they are going through. You only ever see the good sides. But it is difficult for many of us, including me,” said Wawrinka in the interview who has been spared from injuries. “Resigning is not an issue, Life on the tour is something very special, and you chose it at a young age. I really want to come back, back to the emotions that tennis gives me, to the stadium, to the fans. I miss this life.”
It was February 2018 when Stan Wawrinka was sitting alone in Marseille and abandoned in the locker room as felt the tears run down his cheeks. Only the previous summer had he had cartilage damage repaired in two operations on his knee. It was the moment when the fighter wanted to give up.
But Wawrinka continued. He wanted to go back to the field, but above all back to a life of routines between training, games and traveling however, he lacked the adrenaline of competition. It was in 2017 that Stan Wawrinka last had his tournament victory at his home tournament, the Geneva Open. At the end of 2018, he was 66th in the world. In 2019 he reached the quarter-finals at the French Open and the US Open and finished the year in 16th place.
Wawrinka was already 28 when he made his big breakthrough at the 2014 Australian Open. Now the 36 year-old seems to be ready for big titles again. But the question remains, how hungry he is because sometimes, the Swiss gives the impression that he lacks the bite and the absolute will to win another big tournament. As if he wanted to squeeze the lemon to the last drop but no longer necessarily wanted to make lemonade out of it.
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Nihar Khopkar
(191 Articles Published)