A year can be a long time in tennis. Ask Stan Wawrinka. A year after his runner-up finish at the French Open, he lost in the first round and slumped to No 256 in the world. And exactly 365 days after a major loss in the first round of Wimbledon that would go on to affect him for the year to come, he roared back to pull off the biggest triumph of his comeback with a 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Grigor Dimitrov.
On July 3, 2017, 21-year-old Russian Daniil Medvedev had stunned Wawrinka, who was the fifth seed, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the only Grand Slam the Swiss was yet to win. It was the youngster’s first Major win; it was the veteran’s last match of the season.
Since that first-round loss, Wawrinka underwent two operations on his left knee; he was on crutches for months and was away from the game for half a year. In 2018, his comeback didn’t go as planned with a second-round defeat at Australian Open, three more months of injury layoff, and the loss of 1,200 ranking points at Roland Garros. He entered Wimbledon as world no 224 and was up against the sixth seed in the first round on Centre Court.
But exactly 364 days after his career turned upside down, at the very same venue, Wawrinka turned the script, showing just why the late-bloomer is a three-time Grand Slam champion. The win, only his sixth of 2018, was a testimony to his willpower and mental grit.
At the French Open, Wawrinka was beaten in a five-set thriller 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The 33-year-old had struggled to respond at the clutch moments. Maybe his physical limits held him back, the clay could not have been kind to his injury-ravaged knee; maybe he was held back by all the adversity of the last year.
But on Monday, even as he stared at a chastening ‘breadstick’ in the first set, he didn’t panic. He didn’t give in and fought each point on merit, meticulously getting his first break and fighting on till the pressure was suddenly on Dimitrov, who began to gradually crumble.
Point-by-point fightback
It was never going to be easy. Grass has never been Wawrinka’s best surface, with a quarter-final appearance being his best result at the All England Club. This is also his least successful Grand Slam, where he had a 19-13 record before Monday’s match. He had never beaten a top-10 player on grass before and had lost in his last four meetings with Dimitrov, a semi-finalist in 2014.
This year, he had won just one match on grass, beating Cameron Norrie at Queens, before losing to Sam Querrey, and then an even-more injury-marred Andy Murray at Eastbourne. For Dimitrov, on the other hand, this was his forte – he had lost in the opening round at Wimbledon before.
Logically, with the domination in the first set, it was Dimitrov’s match to lose. But in the 26-year-old’s own words, Wawrinka was “hungry, more determined”, and this hunger is what decided the match. His body responded well to the situation, with that masterpiece of a backhand firing all cylinders. Even when he was pushed all across the court, he kept up the pace, looking the healthiest he has in a year.
The Swiss had only three breaks but they all came at the right moment. A break of serve in the sixth game of the second set gave him a 4-2 lead and while the sixth seed recovered to break back, Wawrinka upped the ante in the tie-break to take it 7-3, letting out a primal roar of delight.
At one-set all, Dimitrov had the edge again as he served for the third set at 5-3, only for Wawrinka to save the set points and break back, claiming the tiebreak once again. This is where experience and tenacity counted, where each point had to be won on its own, and it was why Wawrinka could claim the tiebreaks. By the time the fourth set was played, the visibly shaken Bulgarian was could not serve out to stay in the match and the third break gave Wawrinka the memorable victory.
Cheered on by partner Donna Vekic, who had hours before claimed the first major upset of Wimbledon with a dominant win over Sloane Stephens, Wawrinka came across as every bit the three-time Grand Slam champion he is, a barrier Dimitrov has just not been able to cross.
What next for Dimitrov?
On his part, the sixth seed looked increasingly down in the dumps after the good start. He could not consolidate despite fighting back with breaks and then failed to make the leap in the tiebreaker.
The Bulgarian has lacked the champions gear for most part of this season. When he overcame Nick Kyrgios in a battle supreme at the Australian Open – after his best season in 2017 – there was hope that he had finally crossed the threshold of the lost generation.
But with his drooping body language and wayward shots on the grass courts of the Slam he has performed best at, it was evident that there is a lot of work to be done yet.
Dimitrov need not look too far to be able to claim that mental edge. As he analyses his first-round loss, he will see this was no upset after all. Despite it being the first round, the gulf in their rankings and form guide, Dimitrov lost to a champion. That is the level of fighting mentality he needs to access.
The Swiss will have a relatively easier second round against Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano, but even if he does not advance further at Wimbledon, he has done enough to show that he still belongs at the top level.
In his head, this win will be the biggest motivator every time he faces an obstacle. True to his tattooed motto and response after the French Open loss, Wawrinka has tried again (and again) and can only fail better.
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