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Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka

Stan Wawrinka recalls ‘very tense’ heated argument with Roger Federer


Stan Wawrinka has recalled a heated altercation he had with Roger Federer after a clash with his wife Mirka at the 2014 ATP Finals.

Compatriots Wawrinka and Federer were often teammates during their career, winning both the Davis Cup and Olympic gold for Switzerland.

However, it wasn’t always friendly, as Wawrinka recalls.

The incident came in the semi-finals of the ATP Finals in 2014, when Wawrinka complained to the umpire Mirka was calling him a ‘cry-baby’ from courtside.

“She did the same thing at Wimbledon,” Wawrinka told the umpire. “Every time I am on her side she yells before I serve. It’s unbearable.”

Federer went on to win the semi-final, saving match points along the way, but the argument spilled out into the private player areas after the match.

“For sure, it was very, very tense right after the semi-final,” Stan Wawrinka recalled.

“Very, very hot, very, very complicated, on both sides. It’s a good thing there were no cameras in the hallways and locker rooms back then.

“But once again, at some point, when you get caught up in the emotion, for things that don’t necessarily happen because of your fault, you have to know how to take some distance.

“Don’t forget everything we’ve been through together, let the night and the next day pass, don’t see each other and then simply discuss it.

“We had to remember that we had a Davis Cup to win. I wasn’t going to let a little argument, which became a big one because of the emotions, disrupt this victory.”

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Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.