‘Stan the Man‘ will face AIN, Pavel Kotov, in the first round of the Paris Olympics. The 39-year-old Swiss tennis star comes up with a vast experience in playing at such bigger stages of the game. Whereas, Kotov has never featured in the Olympics before in his career. Stan Wawrinka won the French Open in 2015 and also won the gold medal in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics. However, that was in the doubles event! This is probably going to be his last appearance at the Olympics. Do you think Wawrinka can end it on a high note?

Well, his Russian opponent, Pavel Kotov, has been in better form this year. The 25-year-old tennis player has already featured in one SF and two QFs this season. Wawrinka, on the other hand, hasn’t yet made it past the R16 of an ATP Tour event this year. Can Kotov take the Swiss tennis star’s poor run of form in the 2024 season to his own advantage and start this epic faceoff on the front foot?

Stan Wawrinka vs Pavel Kotov: Preview

Stan Wawrinka is entering this match after his early exit at the hands of Slovakia’s Lukas Kelin in the R32 of the Swiss Open. Klein defeated the Swiss by 7-6(4),2-6,7-5 and in that match, Wawrinka could only manage to hit 7 aces committing an equal number of double faults against the Slovak. His first-serve win percentage was 86% and his second-serve win percentage was 66%, although, in the breakpoints, he recorded 2/2.

So far this season, Stan Wawrinka has hit 79 aces and committed near about 33 double faults. He has won 80% of his service games and 20% of his return games.

Pavel Kotov, on the other hand, last featured in the R32 of the Austrian Open Kitzbuhel. Sadly, he was defeated by Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in that match by a tight-two setter. If we take a look at the numbers from that match, Kotov hit 6 aces and committed 4 double faults. He won 71% of his first serve and 52% of his second serve. His breakpoints record was 1/1. 

The Russian has so far managed to hit 104 aces this season, but he has committed 75 double faults. He has won 80% of his service games but could only manage to win 22% of his return games.

Wawrinka vs Kotov: Head-to-Head

They have played against each other only once in their careers so far. It was in the second round of the French Open this year and in that match, Pavel Kotov took four sets to defeat the Swiss tennis star.

• Kotov defeated Stan Wawrinka by 7-6(5),6-4,1-6,7-6(5) in Paris last time. The Russian hit 6 aces committing just 2 double faults in the entire match. Wawrinka hit only 3 aces, but he didn’t commit any double fault. Can he display a similar discipline at Stade Roland Garros this time?

Prediction: Kotov to win in three sets

It’s hard not to pick someone like Stan Wawrinka, especially after looking at what he has achieved so far in his career. He’s no less than a legend in the racquet sport, but age has taken a heavy toll on his body in the last few months. Finding consistency in his game has been a major issue in his last few tournaments. He has a win-loss record of 4-10 this season, compared to Pavel Kotov’s 15-15. Kotov is ranked 62 in the world, while Wawrinka is currently ranked 109. We all know his potential very well, but looking at the current form, the AIN representative looks slightly ahead in this contest.

Pavel Kotov loves coming to Paris. His consistency and ability to adapt to different game styles make him so special as a player. The 25-year-old is a solid baseliner with good movements on the courts. His knack for seamlessly shifting gears and increasing the game’s tempo sets him apart as a formidable opponent. On the other side, Stan Wawrinka has one of the strongest backhands on the Tour.

He’s known for his fast serves, but his majestic one-handed backhand shot is what separated him from all the other players on the Tour. However, as we mentioned earlier, inconsistency has been the biggest rival in his career over the year and this is what makes him the ‘second-best’ in this contest as well.