"Thanks to him, I won the Olympics and the Davis Cup" - Stan Wawrinka on Roger Federer

Stan Wawrinka praised his countryman Roger Federer and explained his role in Wawrinka's successful career in a recent interview. The 20-time Grand Slam winner is regarded as a "big brother" by Wawrinka.

Wawrinka made his professional tennis debut in 2002, four years after Federer. Throughout their careers, Wawrinka and Federer represented their nation in numerous Davis Cup matches, pairing for doubles in 2008, 2011-12, and 2014. At the 2008 Olympics, they won gold as a team in the doubles tournament.

Stan Wawrinka discussed his friendship with Federer on the French talk show En Aparté. He claimed that he immediately identified the 20-time Grand Slam champion as an older brother and that they often trained together, which immensely helped Wawrinka.

"When I arrived, Roger was already at the top of tennis. He took me a little like a big brother. He helped me, we trained a lot together. I was lucky to be able to rub shoulders with him a lot, in training, in tournaments. In the Davis Cup, we shared a lot of things. Afterwards, he simply became a friend. We were a little at the same level, not career, but behavior, mutual aid," Wawrinka said.

Wawrinka expressed his gratitude to the Swiss Maestro and acknowledged that he owed him a lot in his career. It was alongside the 20-time Grand Slam winner that Wawrinka won the Olympic Gold Medal and the Davis Cup, which he believes are two of his career's most significant highlights.

"I owe him a lot in my career. There was something positive. I grew up and improved thanks to him. He helped me a lot. Thanks to him, I won the Olympic Games and the Davis Cup. These are two of the biggest headlines of my career," he said.

"No one will be able to do what he has done" - Stan Wawrinka on Roger Federer's legacy

Stan Wawrinka stated in the same interview that Roger Federer's legacy could not be matched, at least not in Switzerland, where the Maestro is widely adored.

Wawrinka asserted that regardless of the outcome of his performances, he would never be able to compete with Federer. However, Wawrinka himself has three Grand Slam titles - which is no mean feat in the era of the Big 3 - and he stated that his career should also be appreciated.

"It is certain that arriving behind him, especially in Switzerland, no matter what results I could have, anyway, it would always be light years away from him. No one will be able to do what he has done, at least not in Switzerland. What I do, I do the best I can. You must also be able to appreciate this kind of career," Wawrinka said.

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