Stan Wawrinka, who retired from professional tennis this week at the age of 41, has named Novak Djokovic as the greatest player in history, saying the Serb stands above the rest "by a huge margin."
Wawrinka ended his career on home soil at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, where he lost 7-5 7-6(2) to eighth seed Jiri Lehecka in his final match on Tuesday night. The Swiss star peaked at No. 3 in the world, won three Grand Slam titles, and claimed an Olympic gold medal in doubles alongside Roger Federer.
Career Highlights Against the Big Four
Wawrinka was one of the few players to beat all of Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray on the biggest stages. He had a 3-23 record against Federer, 3-19 against Nadal, 6-21 against Djokovic, and went 10-13 versus fellow three-time Major champ Murray. He beat all of them at Grand Slam level at least once.
His most notable victories came against Djokovic, whom he defeated in the 2015 French Open final and the 2016 US Open final. He had a 3-1 record in championship matches at Majors, with his sole loss coming to Nadal at the 2017 French Open.
On Djokovic and Nadal
"At the end of the day, the strongest player in history is Novak Djokovic – by a huge margin," Wawrinka told First & Red earlier this year. "What he has done over the years is unbelievable. He has broken all records and continues to compete at the highest level."
While he considers Djokovic the GOAT, Wawrinka still regards Nadal on the Parisian clay as a unique challenge. "The most difficult opponent was Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, especially in the fifth set," he added. "His career speaks for itself. Playing him in Paris, on clay, in those conditions, was the toughest challenge in tennis for me."
Tributes from Rivals
Wawrinka's old rivals paid tribute to him after his final match. Djokovic said: "Stan, primarily, is a great person. Someone I truly appreciate and respect. He has had an incredible career, honestly. The kind of a competitor he is on the court, talent, strength, power, precision. He had it all."
Federer also shared a series of Instagram stories, writing: "Congrats on an amazing career, my friend. So many incredible memories together. Thanks for carrying me to Olympic gold."
