Will the debate of who’s the real GOAT in the tennis world ever come to an end? Well, the Swiss tennis star has finally named his pick among the ‘Big Three’. And, it’s not Roger Federer! Stan Wawrinka snubs his compatriot and close friend, Roger Federer, to pick Novak Djokovic as the GOAT in the racket sport by saying that stats don’t lie.
During a recent interview with the renowned Spanish newspaper, ‘Marca’, the 38YO Swiss tennis player spoke about the most popular debate in the tennis world. Even a year ago, he had stated the same, although he believes that it’s difficult to talk about athletes who are still playing.
Stan Wawrinka snubs the Swiss Maestro in the GOAT debate
He said that Novak Djokovic has proven everything that needs to be done to be the best among all of them. Talking about the pure results and victories the Serbian has got throughout his career, Wawrinka believes Djokovic is ahead of the other two from the ‘Big 3’. During that interview with RMC Sport, he said, “They marked the history of tennis in a different way, the three.“
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Recently he was yet again seen drawing parallels to his previous statement as he said, “Djokovic is ahead of everyone else in all statistics.” Novak Djokovic currently leads the race with 24 Grand Slam titles. He also holds the record of staying in the no.1 spot in men’s singles ranking for almost 413 weeks.
“I know he fears me, mostly in Grand Slams and I feel that stepping onto the court. He plays at his highest level against me because he knows what I’m capable of,” said Stan Wawrinka. The 38-year-old has managed to clinch three Grand Slam titles in the era of the ‘Big Three’. There aren’t many on the list to do what seemed impossible to the tennis world.
‘He took away two Grand Slams from me’ – Novak Djokovic on Wawrinka
Earlier in an interview, Djokovic said, “Well, he took away two Grand Slams from me. That’s the role he played (in my career), beating me in two Grand Slam finals (smiling). No, I like Stan a lot. He’s a great person. Really always inspirational what he’s doing at his age. He’s almost 40 years old. and he still keeps going strong. That’s something that not many people can do.”
The Serb heaped praise on the Swiss star, for battling through his knee surgeries and yet making strong comebacks and trying to create some more history in his beloved game. Stan Wawrinka is a three-time Grand Slam champion, Olympic gold medalist, and Davis Cup winner.
Novak Djokovic admired his willingness to perform at the top level even at this age, saying, “That’s why I think it’s something that is very admirable and very impressive that after the difficulties, physical difficulties. He has been through in the last five, six, seven years. He still refuses to give up and still keeps going.”
Can Stan Wawrinka clinch a few more historic wins against the current world number one before hanging his boots after having an illustrious career? Share your thoughts on this in the comment box.
