We asked you, the Tennishead readers, to assess the careers of tennis legends Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka.
Murray retired in 2024, leaving behind a career filled with major honours – including three Grand Slam titles and two Olympic gold medals.
Wawrinka, also a three-time Grand Slam champion, is still winning matches on the ATP Tour but is set to retire at the end of this year.
At the start of February, Tennishead readers were asked on TalkingPoints to name the better player: Stan Wawrinka or Andy Murray?
Stan Wawrinka or Andy Murray… who is the greater player? Let us know why below 👇
After a number of responses, it seems there is one clear consensus opinion.
Tennishead readers believe Andy Murray is a better player than Stan Wawrinka
Upon reading the comments, it is clear that Tennishead readers believe Andy Murray is a better player than Stan Wawrinka.
George Patten was conclusive in his analysis, saying: “Love Wawrinka, but it’s Murray. By a bigger margin than people are willing to admit.”
Peter Lynch argued that both players ‘deserved more success,’ while John Verrall added: “Murray was comfortably better than Stan. Their Grand Slam totals being level is misleading because I don’t think it’s particularly close on the court.”
Another contributor acknowledged Wawrinka’s excellent major finals record against world number ones. Wawrinka defeated Rafael Nadal once and Novak Djokovic twice across his three Grand Slam final appearances.
However, the contributor concluded that Murray is the superior player.
They said: “Stan beating number one every time, out of nowhere, in that era is not to be ignored or forgotten. But Andy is superior by FAR.”
James Shearman pointed to the stark difference between Murray and Wawrinka’s Masters 1000 collections. Murray collected a multitude of Masters 1000 titles, while Wawrinka won one: the 2014 Monte-Carlos Masters.
“Stan is underrated in my opinion, but it’s obviously Murray,” he said. “He won 14 Masters 1000 titles!” [Ed. note – Murray won 13 Masters title and one ATP Finals title.]
Andy Murray is a top ten player of all time… Discuss
Not all contributors argued in favour of Murray.
One commenter said: “Murray has the counting stats, but Wawrinka’s titles are more incredible.
“To win his three Grand Slams, Andy faced only two of the ‘Big Three’ total [Djokovic twice] to get it done.
“To get his three, Stan had to beat five ‘Big Three, including beating number one and number two in the same tournament twice [Federer-Djokovic and Djokovic-Nadal], when at the height of their powers.”
Another said: “He won three Grand Slams. Three different slams. Edge to Stan. However both deserve respect for winning slams in the Big Three era.”
However, Matthew Johns highlighted Wawrinka’s past comments, saying: “Even Wawrinka has admitted that it is Murray, they may have the same number of Grand Slams but their overall career achievements are quite far apart!”
Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka’s Grand Slam titles
| Player | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Murray | – | – | 2013, 2016 | 2012 | 3 |
| Stan Wawrinka | 2014 | 2015 | – | 2016 | 3 |
Wawrinka said Murray was ‘way ahead’ of him in 2024
Speaking to Express Sport in 2024, Wawrinka admitted that Murray’s career achievements far outweighed his own.
“For me, he was part of this Big Four era,” Wawrinka said of Murray
“From 18 years old until 30 he was always fighting with the Big Three, he was always there.
“Let’s put it that way, he won ‘only’ three because all the other [players] were taking but he was always in the final, he was always winning a lot.
“For me, his career is nothing compared to mine. He’s way ahead, he won many more titles, things than me, and his level was close to the Big Three for 10 years.”
Wawrinka made the comments in May 2024 – three months before his retirement from the sport.
Murray played his final match alongside Dan Evans in the Olympic Men’s Doubles event. The pair reached the quarter-finals before losing to Americans Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz 2-6, 4-6.
Upon his retirement, Murray had a 13-10 winning record against Wawrinka. However, Wawrinka had the last laugh, beating the British star 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the 2024 French Open.
