A special evening for Swiss tennis: while Roger Federer sits in the stands, Stan Wawrinka reaches the round of 16 in Dubai. The soon-to-be 41-year-old is enjoying his farewell tour - and is hoping for one last duel with a tennis star.
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- Stan Wawrinka (ATP 99) is through to the round of 16 at the ATP tournament in Dubai after a 7:5, 6:3 victory over Benjamin Hassan, fending off all three break points in the process.
- The soon-to-be 41-year-old Swiss, who is on his farewell tour, speaks of additional pressure due to the presence of Roger Federer, but is satisfied with his level.
- Wawrinka praises the high quality of the new generation around Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and will face either Daniil Medvedev or Shang Juncheng in the next round.
Stan Wawrinka is through to the round of 16 at the ATP tournament in Dubai. The Frenchman defeated the Lebanese Benjamin Hassan (ATP 289) 7:5, 6:3 in the first round.
In front of Roger Federer, Wawrinka took his opponent's serve once in each set, while he himself fended off all three of Hassan's break points. After 73 minutes, the world number 99 converted the first match point. It was the Swiss' 15th win in the last 16 matches against a player outside the top 200.
In an interview with sports journalist Reem Abulleil (via X), Wawrinka said that Federer's presence was something special for everyone: "Roger will always be a legend of the sport and we have so many memories together. We played so many matches together, tournaments and team competitions."
Federer told him that he was coming, Wawrinka reveals: "Of course, that always brings a little extra pressure." The presence of his buddy in the desert city is no coincidence - Federer owns a luxury apartment in Dubai.
Generational duels as a challenge
"I've always liked the tournament," praises Wawrinka, who received a wild card. The three-time Grand Slam champion emphasizes that he is very satisfied with his level. He enjoys feeling the support of the spectators, no matter where he plays, says the Frenchman.
He is currently on his farewell tour. "All good things must come to an end at some point, nobody can play forever. Even if he is still passionate about it and is still playing well, it is the right thing to do. "The year is long, it's only the beginning. Every effort I make to maintain this level requires more effort every day to keep it up at this age," admits the soon-to-be 41-year-old (birthday at the end of March).
What has he enjoyed most in the last 20 years? "The chance to play against so many different players from different generations," he says. And it's always the best feeling to play against the younger generation - with the new players who are coming up and who you then see at the top, Wawrinka sums up.
Another dream opponent
He sees the development of tennis at a very high level, especially as the new generation is always better than the previous one. "The conditions have changed a little, with slower balls and less fast courts at tournaments." So the style of play is a little different, but he is still trying to improve and find a way against the players who compete against him, explains Wawrinka.
"If you look at the current level of Jannik (Sinner) and Carlos (Alcaraz), it's absolutely crazy. An incredibly high level. Novak (Djokovic) is also still in the race with them. As a tennis fan in general, it's great to watch," emphasizes the veteran.
"I've had the chance to play against Jannik many times," says Wawrinka. The man with the best backhand on the tour won the first two duels, but then had to concede defeat to the Italian four times. "The last few times were really tough," admits the Swiss. But Wawrinka still has a dream opponent: "Hopefully I can play Carlos one more time before I retire." However, the Spanish world number 1 will not be playing in Dubai.
In the round of 16, Wawrinka, who triumphed in Dubai in 2016, will face either the Russian number 3 seed Daniil Medvedev (ATP 11) or the Chinese Shang Juncheng (ATP 262).
