Big Four status doesn't matter for Stan Wawrinka
Being a member of tennis' Big Four might be the burning ambition of many players but Stan Wawrinka is in no rush to join the ranks and redefine that club as the Fab Five.
Being a member of tennis' Big Four might be the burning ambition of many players but Stan Wawrinka is in no rush to join the ranks and redefine that club as the Fab Five.
The man who belted down backhand bullets to crush Novak Djokovic's French Open dream, thus denying the Serb a chance to complete his collection of grand slam titles, now owns two majors thanks to his success at Roland Garros earlier this month.
Honestly I don't try to compare myself to them or try to be part of a group. I just want to do the best I can in my career
That is the same number of slams won by Andy Murray, one of the bona fide members of the Big Four, but Wawrinka cares little about being held in the same esteem as the Scot, Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.
"Honestly I don't try to compare myself to them or try to be part of a group. I just want to do the best I can in my career," Wawrinka said on the players' lawn at the All England Club as he looked forward to launching his Wimbledon campaign today.
"I'm really happy with what I have done, especially in the last two years, because that is when it all started, with the two grand slams, the Davis Cup [title last year] and everything.
"I'm really happy with my career," added the Swiss, who had to wait almost until his 29th birthday to get his grand slam breakthrough at the 2014 Australian Open before doubling his haul in Paris.
"For me it doesn't matter if it's the Big Four or Big Five or whatever, I don't need that and I am not looking for that. I'm just trying to beat them when I play them, that's it."