“He deserved a better exit” – Wawrinka on Federer’s retirement

Competing at the Moselle Open where he won his first round match on Wednesday and will play top seed Daniil Medvedev in the second round on Thursday, Stan Wawrinka will not be at the Laver Cup this weekend to follow the last tournament in the glorious career of his compatriot Roger Federer.

Wawrinka had already posted a heart-warming tribute to Federer on social media which read: “Tennis will never be the same without you. Enjoy the next chapter of your life with your beautiful family.”

The sadness of having a great player, a friend, a big brother who stops.

Stan Wawrinka

On Monday, after winning his second qualifying match in Metz which moved him into the main draw, the Swiss was asked at a press conference about the retirement of the 20-time Grand Slam champion. In front of the media, the Swiss was open and honest about his thoughts as usual.

“He pushed all possible limits in terms of results, the ability to come back and adapt. The announcement of his retirement filled me with sadness. The sadness of having a great player, a friend, a big brother who stops. In a way, maybe he deserved a better exit, probably. It’s a shock for everyone, even if it’s been a while since he was able to play because of his injuries,” said Wawrinka.

“Federer is like a big brother” – Wawrinka

The 37-year-old Wawrinka has shared some great moments with Federer throughout his career, especially while representing their country. Both were part of the team that won the Davis Cup in 2014 and the doubles gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Wawrinka explained that he was lucky to be around Federer and to be able to progress thanks to his advice.

“It’s impossible for me to choose which time I prefer with Roger. We’ve been through so much. Our relationship has grown over the years. When we first trained, I was 16 years old, I went to Biel to train with him on clay, it was amazing.”

“He was like a big brother, a huge chance for me, the world No 1, a guy at the top, a Swiss with whom I had the chance to train, to learn, to call him for advice. And we became friends afterwards with all the experiences we had with the victory in the Davis Cup, it was the ultimate dream to be able to do it with him.”

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