Stan Wawrinka has straddled multiple eras in tennis, having played the sport across three different decades.
Wawrinka is set to retire at the end of 2026, but that hasn’t stopped him from rolling back the years at the start of the season.
The Swiss star has cracked the top 100 of the rankings yet again, after picking up victories against the likes of Hamad Medjedovic and Aleksandar Vukic.
Having played the best players both eras have to offer, Wawrinka has now had his say on which was best.
Stan Wawrinka says this generation is ‘better’ than the last
Wawrinka was full of praise for the current crop of top players ahead of his campaign at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Speaking to Reem Abulleil, the Swiss star said: “I think the evolution of the game is, right now, the level is really high, that’s for sure.
“The new generation is always going to be better than the last generation. We can see that,” he added, before explaining a key difference between the eras.
Stan Wawrinka or Andy Murray… who is the greater player? Let us know why below 👇
“A little bit changed with the conditions and the balls, the tournaments being a bit slower. The game style is a little bit different.
“But in general, I always try to improve myself, play my best tennis, and find a way against players against me.”
Asked if this generation is better than the previous, which included Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal, Wawrinka was adamant it was.
He responded: “Yeah, I think if you look at the level right now of Jannik and Carlos, they’ve been crazy high… crazy high level.
“You have Novak still in the fight with them. And as a fan of tennis in general, it’s amazing to watch that. I had the chance to play Jannik many times. Last few times was really tough. And hopefully I can play Carlos once before I stop playing.”
Wawrinka won his first match in Dubai in straight sets against wild card Benjamin Hassan. He will play the winner of Daniil Medvedev and Jerry Shang in round two.
Stan Wawrinka’s head-to-head record with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Wawrinka is yet to play Alcaraz on the ATP Tour, although there is a chance a first time meeting could happen in his final year.
The Swiss star has, however, met Sinner several times since their very first meeting back in 2019 at the US Open.
What is your best memory of Stan Wawrinka?
Wawrinka defeated Sinner in their first two matches, at the US Open and the Antwerp Open, both of which happened in 2019.
Since then, it has been one-way traffic for Sinner as he approaches his peak and Wawrinka winds down his career.
Sinner has defeated Wawrinka at Wimbledon and the US Open, as well as Rotterdam and Indian Wells, and the Swiss star has mustered just two sets off the Italian.
