Stan Wawrinka: 'I'm not the kind of guy' to pose for nude photos
LONDON – Weeks after Stan Wawrinka won his second Grand Slam title, the talk surrounding the Swiss tennis star is more about his body than his body of work.
That's because he appears in the latest edition of ESPN the Magazine's The Body issue, his image released Monday as a preview for the issue due out next week with Wimbledon underway.
"I feel good," Wawrinka told USA TODAY Sports about the photos, which showcase his ever-famous one-handed backhand, not to mention parts of him that have never before been seen in public.
"This was more about the challenge for myself," he said. "I'm not the kind of guy to do these pictures, but (the magazine issue) puts the athlete first, the sport first. I'm happy I did it. It made me a little bit nervous, but in general it was a great experience for me."
Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic in the final of the French Open on June 7, his second Grand Slam singles title after a breakout performance at the Australian Open in 2014.
Were his nerves for the photo shoot similar to those of major final?
"They were different," he said, smiling. "When I decide to do something, I try to do it 100 percent. It took me a few months to decide, but I was happy I did it."
The 30-year-old has flourished after long playing second fiddle to countryman Roger Federer. He's done so over the last 18 months, first with a win in Melbourne last January, and then by cementing himself inside the men's top 10. His victory three weeks ago in Paris made him the only man outside of tennis' Big Four — Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic — to win multiple majors in the last 10 years.
"After winning another Grand Slam, something so big and amazing, I didn't expect to be that strong," Wawrinka said in an interview. "I didn't know I had that great resolution. I beat the No. 2 and No. 1 players in the world… It gave me a kind of confidence that you can't work on or try to have, it just comes naturally."
"I think about for him what it was like to always be in the shadow of Federer, that was something hard for him to get through," said Martina Hingis, another Swiss tennis superstar. "It was amazing to see him win (the French Open). Who would of thought that he would beat Djokovic in the final, but he made it. Hitting 60 winners on Djokovic? That's quite amazing."
No man has won the French Open and Wimbledon back to back since Rafael Nadal did it in 2010. Monday Wawrinka was a straight-sets winner over Joao Sousa 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(3) on Centre Court.
After his win, Wawrinka faced questions about that booming confidence and also his nude photos, first in the main press conference room and then in a video shoot, with French reporters and in the ESPN television studios, where Mike Tirico and Brad Gilbert ribbed him about The Body shoot.
"I'm scared," cracked Wawrinka before the photos were revealed on the TV screen.
But clearly he isn't scared on the tennis court. He's a player prone to bad patches (he lost in the first round of last year's French Open), but also possesses the kind of tennis that he displayed at Roland Garros this year, with wins over Federer and Djokovic to secure the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
"Guys hit hard balls, but he hits a heavy ball, it's a big difference. That ball comes on you and it's tough to deal with," said Steve Johnson, the American who lost to Wawrinka in the third round of the French Open. "It made me feel better when I went home and watched him destroy a few other people there. Stan has the ability to put you on your heels and just swing away."
A British journalist tried to assert on Monday that Wawrinka had taken his place among the Big Four, but he wasn't having any of it, saying those players' results have come over a decade, not just two years.
"I'm not comparing myself to them," he said. "I personally really don't care. For me the Big Four always mean the Big Four. That's for me how I see it."