Stan Wawrinka was on cloud nine after capturing his third Grand Slam title at the 2016 US Open.
The Swiss legend, who has also won major titles in Paris and Melbourne, defeated defending champion and world number one Novak Djokovic 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After winning yet another major, it seemed that Wawrinka could finally be considered part of the most elite group in men’s tennis alongside Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
For years, fans had dubbed this foursome the ‘big four’ due to their consistent dominance at Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events.
However, Wawrinka did not see himself as part of that group, despite having just won his third major title.
Stan Wawrinka compared himself to Andy Murray and said he should not be included in ‘Big Five’ discussions
With victory in New York, Wawrinka had won his last 11 finals on the ATP Tour, dating back to the 2014 Chennai Open.
After the 2016 US Open final, Djokovic concluded that Wawrinka deserved to be mentioned in the ‘big five’ mix.
When asked if tennis officially had a ‘big five’ after the final, Djokovic told reporters: “Well, I mean, he [Wawrinka] deserves to be in the mix, no doubt about it.
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“Stan won three Grand Slams now and three different ones; Olympic medal. Been around for so many years, and he plays best in the big matches.
“I mean, he definitely deserves to be mentioned in the mix of top players.”
Yet, the humble Swiss maestro sought to exclude himself from this discussion, comparing himself to Andy Murray in the process.
“Okay, let’s… Novak is always so nice with me. I love him. He’s a good friend. He always say a lot of nice thing about me,” Wawrinka began.
“The big four, I’m really far from them. Just look the tournament they won, how many years they been there. If you look, yes, I have three Grand Slams. How many Masters 1000 have Murray? They have been there since ten years.
“They have not only been winning, but being in semi-final, final every time. That’s why I’m not there. I don’t want to be there. For me, there is no question about that. But I’m trying the best I can with my career.
“I’m really, really happy with what I’m doing so far. I’m proud of myself by winning three Grand Slam. This is something I never expect and dream about it, but I have them and I’m happy to take the trophy back home.”
Stan Wawrinka’s record against the ‘Big Four’
Of the Big Four, Wawrinka struggled the most against compatriot Roger Federer, winning only three of their 26 ATP Tour matches.
During his career, Wawrinka had separate 10-match and eight-match losing streaks against Federer.
Wawrinka has not fared much better against Djokovic, winning six of their 27 matches. However, two of these wins came in Grand Slam finals: the 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open.
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Against Nadal, Wawrinka won only three of his 24 matches against the Spaniard. One of these victories occurred in a Grand Slam final at the 2014 Australian Open.
Against Murray, Wawrinka again had a losing record. However, this record is more positive: Wawrinka won 10 of their 23 matches.
At 40 years old, Wawrinka is still competing on the ATP Tour and is set to play his first tournament of 2026 at the Auckland Open in New Zealand.
