French Open champ Stan Wawrinka never expected he'd come this far
PARIS — Ever tried. Ever fail. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
It's the novelist Samuel Beckett's quote written, no — tattooed — on the left forearm of French Open champion Stan Wawrinka, and it rang true Sunday, as the 30-year-old Swiss man won a second Grand Slam title against a player he had beaten just three times in 20 matches before.
The failing worked. The failing won Wawrinka another Grand Slam.
"I never expect(ed) to be that far in my career," Wawrinka said, ticking off his career accomplishments, which include two majors, an Olympic gold medal in doubles and a Davis Cup title.
"I never expect(ed) to be that strong. (It's) something quite amazing."
Tennis, mind you, is the sport where losing happens a lot, even at the professional level. Out of the 128 men in the main draw at Roland Garros, 127 of them walk away losers. But Wawrinka carries a trophy into the sunset on what was a chillingly beautiful day. He also carries the assurance that he is not, anymore, a one-Slam wonder in tennis.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic shouldn't need such assurances. This tournament was deemed the Serbian's to win: He was the top seed; he had won 28 matches coming into Sunday; he had de-throned the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, to set up a storybook ending for the final piece of his career Grand Slam to be put in place.
But that's not the way the story was written as Wawrinka made himself a star again some 18 months after his triumph at the Australian Open, where he similarly shocked a heavily favored Nadal.
For years a top-25 player, Wawrinka has discovered the best tennis of his career with more miles behind him. He brought on coach Magnus Norman, a former world No. 2 and the 2000 French Open runner-up, in the spring of 2013. Wawrinka began playing big matches more poignantly, including his epic 2014 Australian Open quarterfinal over Djokovic.
Djokovic, for his part, leaves the French Open without a winner's trophy but still as tennis' leading man. He will enter Wimbledon, which begins June 29, undoubtedly the favorite. He's the defending champion there and the world No. 1, with victories against all of his top rivals this year, including Wawrinka.
"Of course it's going to be difficult," Djokovic said of trying to win in London again, as he did after losing in the final here a year ago. "(But) I don't want to talk about Wimbledon right now. Sorry."
Djokovic's success on tour this year has still been out of a fiction novel: 41-3 overall; five titles, including Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome; an eighth Grand Slam in Australia; and already qualification for the World Tour Finals in November ... even if he doesn't play another match between now and then.
Wawrinka, a junior champion here in 2003, is the oldest winner at a Grand Slam (30 years, two months, 10 days) since his good friend Federer won Wimbledon in 2012, at 30 years and 11 months.
Thirty-nine men age 30 or older started this French Open, a record for 30-somethings at any major. It's a sport that's growing increasingly older, including on the women's side, where 33-year-old Serena Williams beat 28-year-old Lucie Safarova for the title.
The Swiss man's problem has been his ability to translate his big-stage success onto the tour level. He's scored six top-10 wins in 2015 (including this week), but also lost three times to players ranked outside the top 50, including world No. 104 Robin Haase in Indian Wells.
Why hasn't "Stan the Man" been more consistent?
"I don't know," he said, smiling. "I'm trying, (but) I'm not as strong as the big four," referring to Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray.
"I'm strong enough to win some big titles sometimes during the years. So I didn't find the way how to play my best game every tournament, but I'm still OK and satisfied with my career so far."
It's an answer that sounds rather similar to certain familiar phrase, too.
Ever tried. Ever fail. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
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