He was like a big brother to me, a friend – Stan Wawrinka on Roger Federer

Stan Wawrinka shared a great bonhomie with Roger Federer. Wawrinka revealed that he cried when Federer played his last professional match with Rafael Nadal against the American duo of Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in the Laver Cup in September.

Wawrinka played some of the biggest matches of his career against Federer and shared a fine rivalry with his compatriot. Federer dominated Wawrinka throughout his career as he had a 23-3 record against him.

“I cried for Roger (Federer). It was hard, a strong feeling. Even talking about it is difficult. When I came on the tour, he was already there. He was like a big brother to me, a friend,” said Stan Wawrinka on the RMC podcast Court No. 1 as mentioned in an article on Eurosport.

Meanwhile, Federer and Wawrinka partnered with each other for Switzerland in the Davis Cup. Furthermore, the duo won the Gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

On the other hand, Wawrinka recently told the Paris Masters Champion Hogler Rune to stop acting like a baby on the court. However, the Swiss player recalled the moment when he was called a crybaby by Federer’s wife Mirka.

“Luckily, there weren’t any cameras in the hallways or locker rooms back then,” Stan Wawrinka told the RMC podcast Court No. 1 as mentioned in the same article on Eurosport.

“It was a critical moment, very complicated. The situation was difficult for both of us to handle,” added Wawrinka.

The 37-year-old, who has won three Grand slam titles in his career, revealed that he is still confident of beating the best players in the world.

“If I no longer had the feeling that I could beat the best tennis players, I probably would have stopped. It’s important for me to be competitive, I keep playing because I want to experience the matches, the big challenges,” said Stan Wawrinka.