The Swiss players, world number two Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, who is currently in the ninth position in the ATP rankings, have become one of the elite tennis duos especially after the latest victory achieved in the Davis Cup World group match and the previous Gold medal obtained during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games during August.
Over the six years of professional play since the 23-years old Wawrinka began his tennis career; he has escalated from the 171 position in 2003 to the 54th place in 2005 to a 36th ranking in 2007, while reaching the top ten in the current ATP Tour. He also holds a singles career record of 105-91, one title to his name and a doubles Olympic medal. Despite his hard and constant work his game has suffered major setbacks due to a knee injury. Nevertheless, the young Swiss has proved his talent against players such as: the Argentinean Juan Ignacio Chela, the Russian Marat Safin and the Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.
Only this past Saturday at the indoor Malley stadium both Swiss players teamed up to play against the Belgium group made up by; Xavier Malisse and Oliver Rochus for a Davis Cup entry for the 2009 competition. There was indeed a lot of pressure on the players, as we witnessed what they were capable of doing at the Olympics, but during the match it was clear that Federer and Wawrinka were proud to play for their country and the duo just kept improving.
The 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 final score provided the Swiss players with their pass to next year’s competition which became a real satisfaction as the country was left out for this year’s tournament. One major doubt continues to be Roger Federer’s participation but he briefly stated it seems very probable as long as the Davis Cup games do not interfere with the ATP tour official tournaments he is required to appear at.
The five-time US Open Gran Slam winner has also mentioned that despite the fact he has mainly concentrated in singles tournaments over his professional career, he believes the double matches he played alongside with fellowman Wawrinka helped him to regain confidence and triggered something different within himself. Many experts believe the duo’s Gold medal achievement changed Federer’s vision and it opened a new door of possibilities for the player and a brief preview of this could have been his Grand slam win in New York.
Nevertheless, it is refreshing to see how two skilled players, one of them perhaps more accomplished than the other partnered up and play so comfortable for one common goal. The fact that Federer’s career has been very different from Wawrinka’s does not imply the fact Stanislas could easy become the next number one Swiss player in the coming years as he has proven to be a solid, strategic player on all surfaces which remains one of the biggest challenges for a tennis player. And perhaps his learning ability might pick up something more from the tennis master of all times.
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