WATCH: Stan Wawrinka Argues With Chair Umpire About Difficult Conditions at French Open 2020

Stan Wawrinka did not particularly enjoy his third-round fixture at French Open 2020. The Swiss star eased past the first two rounds to set up a clash with the only remaining Frenchman in the men’s singles. However, the match could not be completed, and the former champion was unhappy with the conditions. He expressed his disappointment to the chair umpire. 

Stan Wawrinka took on 20-year-old Hugo Gaston in his third-round match, which started off in a cracking manner. Though the young Frenchman was outplayed in the first set, he rallied back to win the second. 

With both players winning a set, the match went into the third, and that’s when nature decided to play its games in Paris. The match was held at Court Suzanne Lenglen amid overcast conditions. The contest was already going tense and at two games apiece in the third set, and was temporarily suspended due to unplayable conditions.

Before the officials made the decision to call off the match, Stan Wawrinka put tremendous pressure on the chair umpire to go ahead with the decision. During a game break in the third set, the 3xGrand Slam champion felt the surface to be extremely slippery due to the drizzle.

“If we don’t stop now, we will never stop. It cannot get more slippery than that,” said Wawrinka to the amused Marijana Veljovic. This made the Serbian official come down and inspect the court, which was indeed very slippery. 

Shortly after checking the surface, the officials called off play. The slight rain made it even more challenging for Wawrinka and Gaston, who were already competing in very cold conditions. 

Stan Wawrinka hopes to make a deep run at French Open 2020

Roland Garros is a familiar territory for Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss triumphed here in 2016, when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the finals. The 35-year-old’s determination has carried him a long way, and here he is looking to making a deep run at the 2020 French Open.

After securing comfortable victories in the first two rounds, Stan Wawrinka was beaming with confidence. He said, “My conclusion, that I’m ready. I’m playing well, I’m moving well. I’m feeling good on the court. That’s it. It’s a Grand Slam. It can be long for two weeks. It’s match after match. You need to stay into it.” 

Stan is the tournament’s 16th seed, who now faces the challenging task of getting past Hugo Gaston. The young French athlete has a lot of hopes riding on his back and would be determined to come out on top. Can the former World No.3 overcome the Gaston test?