Farewell to the Olympics: Stan Wawrinka.Bild: keystone
Klaus’s Candies
The first interim report of the Swiss delegation is dominated by the dramas surrounding Mathias Flückiger (35), Nino Schurter (38) and Stan Wawrinka (39). Olympic heroes in the twilight of their careers.
Klaus Zaugg, Paris
The biggest, most famous name in the Swiss delegation, across all countries and seas, from America to China to Australia? No question: Stan Wawrinka. He is the most popular Swiss in Paris anyway.
Anyone who almost always loses and yet remains popular and famous has reached the status of a legend. Delegation leader Ralph Stöckli also bowed to Stan Wawrinka’s magic in a passing sentence – he probably didn’t even notice. Last week, during a chat about the Olympic Village, he said: “Yes, Stan Wawrinka also stopped by the village!” His tone was almost as if French President Emmanuel Macron had dropped by.
Stan Wawrinka, double Olympic champion in 2008 with Roger Federer, also used to live in the Olympic Village. Here in Paris, the 2012 flag bearer is staying in the hotel. He says that it made it easier for him to concentrate. Fewer distractions, more energy.
Wawrinka visits the Swiss team.Bild: keystone
The man who can no longer do it twice
On Monday, Wawrinka swept his opponent off the court in 50 minutes. A demonstration of power. The real Stan Wawrinka. Two days later, the 2014 Davis Cup winner (with Roger Federer) had no chance. After 90 minutes, it was all over. He lost to the 14-year-younger Australian Alexei Popyrin (4:6, 5:7).
Wawrinka is once again the man who can’t win twice: Since the US Open last summer, “Stan the Man” has never won a tournament twice in a row. He was also just eliminated in the second round of the Olympic tournament.
Wawrinka struggled with the heat.Bild: keystone
How can that be? How can this disillusionment be explained just 48 hours after the supposed resurrection? Quite simply: it is the combination of age and heat against a fresh, agile and cheeky opponent.
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The sun isn’t shining. It’s burning, glowing, blazing from the sky. There’s not a breath of wind to cool things down. Because it’s been raining for the last few days, the heat is charged with humidity. Tropical heat. A good 40 degrees.
The heat affects Stan Wawrinka like a cyclist climbing Mont Ventoux. It robs him of the energy he needs to fuel his power tennis and his self-confidence. His charisma disappears. From the first second it is clear that he cannot win this match. His steps become heavier and heavier. Like an old boxer.
He said on Monday that he was fit. In top shape, in fact. He is not fit. He does not celebrate the lightness of being, even when he is at his best. Now his game is a reminder of the hardships of life. But the winner of three Grand Slam tournaments is not giving up. He is rebelling against fate. Spurred on by the crowd. In the stands around Court 14, every seat and every landing is taken. The crowd suffers with him. Cheers him on. Celebrates every point he wins. But age, the heat and the opponent are stronger. Drama.
They came because of him: Wawrinka fans in Paris.Bild: keystone
Further, always further
It takes a good hour for him to come out of the dressing room after the game. He is, of course, disappointed and talks about a bitter defeat. He seems melancholic. He emphasizes several times how much he appreciates the crowd’s support for him. As if he is realizing that the end of his career is approaching.
But when asked what he will do next, he rejects any thoughts of retirement. Yes, he is a romantic. He talks about the good life he has thanks to tennis, mentions the audience again and, looking ahead, he doesn’t talk about weeks or months. But about years that he still hopes to play. And why not here again next year in Roland Garros at the French Open? Yes, he is truly a romantic. He will be 40 next March. “Men Who Die in Their Boots” is the title of a western from the 1950s. Is that also Stan Wawrinka’s tennis fate?
How long will he play?Bild: keystone
Letting go and returning to a normal life will not be easy for him. So he keeps playing, always playing. And why not continue to do what he is passionate about, what he is still best at, for as long as possible? The twilight of his career has long since begun. But it can last a long time and be very rewarding. In the autumn he will receive 100,000 francs in entry fees for the Swiss Indoors in Basel. He can keep that even if he is knocked out in the first round.
But he won’t be there at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in four years. We saw his last Olympic tango. As he goes back to the dressing room, he patiently and kindly allows some volunteers to take a selfie. They should keep the pictures safe. They are historic photos. The last of Stan Wawrinka on Olympic grounds.
The best stories of the first days
Nino Schurter (38) also competed in his last Olympic race. Wawrinka and Schurter won two gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal.
In a losing position: Nino Schurter.Bild: keystone
Mathias Flückiger is also one of the tragic Swiss heroes of Paris. No medal for the silver biker from Tokyo. But he is only 35. He still has some unfinished business and is on a mission. Los Angeles 2028 is a big goal. There he would be – like Stan Wawrinka now – the suffering, last Olympic romantic.
It may be that the bronze medal of the young shooter Audrey Gogniat is the Swiss highlight of the first week. But the best stories of the first few days were written by Mathias Flückiger, Nino Schurter and Stan Wawrinka in their own special way.
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