Stan Wawrinka put together a memorable performance to overcome Arthur Gea in the second round of the Australian Open.
Wawrinka, who entered the tournament as a wildcard, became the first player over 40 to reach the third round in Melbourne since 1977. It was his 49th five-set match – more than any other player in Open Era history.
He’s become known for getting through these long battles over his career. He says his success comes down to preparation and focusing on how he plays, not just trying to win every point.
Wawrinka breaks down his success in five-set matches
After the match, Wawrinka was asked by a reporter about his strong record in best-of-five matches compared to best-of-three: “Your winning percentage in best-of-five is better than best-of-three. What do you think it is about best-of-five that you’re so good at? Seem to be a specialist at times.”
The Swiss star said: “No, Grand Slam always been in general better for me. Like, I feel that I have more time to put my game, to find solution. Also I have good confidence in my fitness level that I can handle those long matches. For me, that’s not a problem to really keep it up with the level.
“So today was again a big battle, of course. I was not feeling great. Probably start to cramp at the end. For me, yeah, I was pushing myself, pushing myself through.
“Of course, you need to feel good physically but also mentally you need to stay positive, need to find solution.
“Like I said, for me playing here, playing with this amazing atmosphere, support – it really gives me a lot of energy on the court to keep staying positive, to keep fighting, and pushing myself through.”
A follow-up question focused on whether Wawrinka had ever pinpointed when he became comfortable with the demands of five-set matches.
He explained: “Not really. But like I said before even if today was not easy for him neither mentally or physically and most important thing was just how big were the last two sets because two things like don’t forget even before set 6-3 he still played quite well and then after second set almost broke him mentally after that only one break on lefty good serve players quite impressive.
Stan Wawrinka’s potential path to the Australian Open fourth round
Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, is more than capable of pushing Taylor Fritz in the third round. The Swiss veteran has shown over the years that he can still compete at a high level, especially on hard courts.
His performance so far at Melbourne Park suggests this isn’t just a farewell tour. Wawrinka has made it clear that he still has ambitions for the remainder of the season and won’t go quietly in what is expected to be his final Australian Open appearance.
If he gets past Fritz, Wawrinka would then face either Lorenzo Musetti or Tomas Machac in the fourth round.
Although Wawrinka has lost both of his previous encounters with Musetti, their last meeting was tightly contested. He came close to pulling off a win in Athens, losing 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Machac has also had success against Wawrinka in their two prior meetings. The Czech player is coming off an impressive win over Stefanos Tsitsipas and recently captured the Adelaide International title earlier this month.
- READ MORE: Jannik Sinner highlights the one thing Carlos Alcaraz does better than anyone on ATP Tour
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
