Who is the greatest tennis player of all time? Of course, this is a question that is widely debated and doesn’t have a right or a wrong answer. Roger Federer is renowned as being one of the greats but there are a number of other players who are well deserving of a mention, too. One of these players is Stan Wawrinka, someone who seems to have his achievements whispered rather than shouted about; however, when you analyse the way he handles himself on and off the court, it’s clear to see what a credit to tennis he really is.
Late Bloomer
A lot of tennis players seem to peak when they’re younger and generally speaking, the prime age to play tennis is argued to be 24 or 25. Stan Wawrinka managed to paddle against that current and is an inspiration to older tennis players everywhere, proving that there’s nothing stopping you from stepping into your prime regardless of your age.
Wawrinka showed tennis lovers that if you have resilience and are willing to dig deep for what you want then you will be able to achieve anything. Ten years after “prime playing age” at 35 and having just returned from a severe knee injury, Wawrinka continued to play at the highest level. He continues to be an inspiration.
Source: Pexels
Advocate for the Sport
Wawrinka’s love of tennis shines through in the way he advocates for fairness throughout the sport as well. Gambling is such a huge part of tennis as a lot of fans place bets on the outcomes of different games using betting apps and sportsbooks. This is nationwide regardless of the state you are in as there are always going to be sites available where people are able to place bets. For instance, in Maryland, online sports betting is going to go live late in 2022 and as such a number of sites have already popped up with promotional offers. There will be plenty of Maryland sportsbooks to choose from once such betting goes live and fans in the state will be able to take part as many tennis fans all over the world already do.
Wawrinka managed to see the amount of influence that betting, online sportsbooks and online gambling sites had over the sport and as such, decided to call attention to how tennis can work with them to improve the game. He commented saying that gambling companies are going to be able to play a huge part in eliminating corruption in sports, clearly showing his love of fairness within the game.
Impressive Backhand
There is no escaping the fact that Wawrinka has one of the best backhands of all time and this should help him stand out as an excellent credit to tennis. The backhand can be very hard to master but Wawrinka has it down to an art form. There are full breakdowns available that discuss why his backhand is effective but essentially it all comes down to his power and spin, tactics and consistency.
Source: Pexels
Shout About Stan Wawrinka
There are a large number of excellent tennis players out there but one who is often overlooked is Stan Wawrinka. There are a number of attributes that make Wawrinka a credit to tennis both on and off the pitch but some of the most significant are the inspiration he is playing at an older age, the fact he has one of the best backhands in the world and his advocacy for fairness within the sport.