“Roger Federer Motivates Me To Play Longer” – Stan Wawrinka

Swiss star Stan Wawrinka has often been called Tennis’ Great Latecomer as he found a lot of success later in his career. He is now 35 years old and one of the veterans on the ATP Tour. In a recent interview, he talked about how he motivates himself to keep competing as he gets older. Check it out.

How Stan Wawrinka Stays Motivated

The person who has become the definition of longevity is Roger Federer. He is still able to able compete well on the ATP Tour even though he is soon going to be 39 years old. This is why it should come as no surprise that he is Stan Wawrinka’s inspiration. In the interview, Stan said,

“If I can be at my best level until 40, it will be amazing. But when we watch Roger Federer, we never say that we can accomplish the same. Anyway, he is another league. The advantage of seeing him play so well, so late, it means that it is possible to physically hold up. So, in fact, he is opening some doors too, on the mental side too, to imagine that maybe I want to play longer. I am 35 now.”

I am sure every tennis fan wants Wawrinka to continue as he was one of the best players on the Tour until he was plagued with injuries in 2017. He had to undergo surgery that year, and hence, had to cut his season short. Ever since then, he has been trying to regain his form.

We did see signs of that form towards the end of 2019 and at the start of 2020. He managed to beat Novak Djokovic and outlast Daniil Medvedev in 5 sets. This will definitely motivate him to work harder and win some Grand Slams again.

He will have to wait for a while, however, as the ATP Tour has been suspended. It is scheduled to return in July when Stan will have the opportunity to win some Slams once again.