Stan Wawrinka Admits He Felt Pressure After Hearing Roger Federer Was Going to Watch His Match at Dubai Open

Roger Federer held a 23-3 head-to-head lead over compatriot Stan Wawrinka.

Stan Wawrinka Admits He Felt Pressure After Hearing Roger Federer Was Going to Watch His Match at Dubai Open

Stan Wawrinka, Roger Federer (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, ESPN Tenis)

In Short
  • Stan Wawrinka won his first-round match at the Dubai Tennis Championship, becoming the oldest player to win a main draw match in the tournament.
  • He felt extra pressure playing in front of Roger Federer, who was watching from the stands.
  • Wawrinka is set to face Daniil Medvedev in the second round, with Medvedev holding a 3-2 edge in their previous meetings.

Stan Wawrinka left the crowd at the Aviation Club complex in awe after registering his first-round win at the Dubai Tennis Championship over Benjamin Hassan. Wawrinka clinched a 7-5, 6-3 win, becoming the oldest man to win a main draw match in the tournament.

He broke Roger Federer‘s record. The Swiss maestro was in the stands watching his compatriot break his record. After the win, Wawrinka said at the press conference that playing in front of the 20-time Grand Slam champion added extra pressure on him.

It’s as special as it is for everybody anyway. Roger is always going to be a legend of the sport, and we have so many memories together since I started playing… So yeah, he did tell me he was coming. Of course, it always adds some extra pressure.

Wawrinka met Federer 26 times and won just three matches. While the 44-year-old retired at the 2022 Laver Cup, Wawrinka will hang up his racket after this season.

Despite this being his last season, Stan the Man, who will turn 41 this March, is digging deep and giving his all in matches. In this year’s Australian Open, he made the third round and lost the match to 2024 US Open finalist Taylor Fritz. He made a Grand Slam third round for the first time since the 2023 US Open.

Wawrinka is set to face a tough opponent in the second round of the Dubai event. He will lock horns with Daniil Medvedev, who is chasing his second title of the season and defeated Shang Juncheng in the first round.

Both Medvedev and Wawrinka are former champions in Dubai. The Russian ace defeated Andrey Rublev in 2023, while Wawrinka beat Marcos Baghdatis in 2014. The upcoming match will be their sixth meeting on the tour. The 2021 US Open champion holds a 3-2 edge over Wawrinka.

Stan Wawrinka on winning Majors in the Big 4 era

Stan Wawrinka was one of the few players who won Major titles when the Big 4 of tennis- Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray– were dominating. Wawrinka, in fact, defeated World No.1s in each of the three Grand Slam finals he had played.

Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka (Image via X/ATP Tour)

He defeated Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final, then beat Djokovic in the French Open final the following season. Then again, he beat the Serb in the 2016 US Open final. During his interview with Khaleej Times, Wawrinka was asked about his Major wins in the Big 4 era.

Yeah, for me, I always been someone who thinks we were amazingly lucky to be part of this big Big Four era. There were incredibly high-level tennis players winning every single title that you can win in the tennis world. So it was the biggest challenge as a tennis player to come and face them. And I had the opportunity to face them so many times, I lost to them many times, but I also beat them a few times. So I am happy with what I could achieve.

Three members of the Big 4 called time on their careers. After Federer, Murray hung up his racket at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and a few months later, at the Davis Cup, Nadal joined them in the retirement list. Djokovic is still chasing his 25th Grand Slam title.

The 38-year-old played the final of this year’s Australian Open but couldn’t end his Major titles drought. After snapping his five-match losing streak against World No.2 Jannik Sinner, Djokovic lost to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the championship clash.

Also read: Stefanos Tsitsipas Issues Update on Back Injury Ahead of Dubai Championships Title Defense