Andy Roddick Reveals the Adjustments Stan Wawrinka Made Before his Grand Slam Success

Winning multiple Grand Slams in the ‘Big Three’ era is a herculean task. However, the former World No.3 Stan Wawrinka has done the manageable, winning 3 Grand Slams in three consecutive years.

Wawrinka has always been a big threat at the major events. The tennis’ great latecomer found success late in his career. He won three different Grand Slams in 2014, 2015 and 2016, defeating the reigning World No.1 in the championship match on all three occasions.

He has beaten Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic on the biggest stages as he made his way to three Majors. Moreover, he remains the last player outside the Big Three to win a major title.

The biggest question now arises: What changes did the Swiss master brought in his game before the 2014 Australian Open from when his career elevated to a whole new level?

Stan Wawrinka is no accident

Former World No.1 Andy Roddick explained the changes coach Magnus Norman brought in Wawrinka’s game.

“Stan had proven that he was capable of taking out the best players on the biggest stages at the 2014 Australian Open,” said Roddick in an interview with Tennis Channel.

He explained that Stan is upside when he’s playing his best tennis. He also has enough firepower to take these guys out, maybe not as consistent as someone like Andy Murray. Wawrinka himself has countered this objection, citing his own lack of consistency compared to the Big Four. However, if he starts landing uppercuts, he can knock someone from the forehand.

He further explicated that his bad days started becoming a lot better which means he could get into a Grand Slam and grind through the first, second, third round, where he might get upset before.

Also Read: “Stan Wawrinka Played ‘Red Line’ Tennis In 2015” – Andy Roddick

“The single biggest change I noticed was the first serve returns” – Andy Roddick

“The single biggest change I noticed was the first serve returns,” Roddick added. “He used to take huge cuts on everything, to where I would roll through a service game and not actually have to do much. He would hit one winner and then miss four returns.”

The American noted that Norman got him hitting first serve returns. He now chips the return, gets it in play, opens up his shoulders on the second ball to get the upper hand and get back to the aggressive way that he likes to play.

“Norman really had him rein in those first serve returns, to where he was getting himself in a lot more points, which allowed him to open his shoulders a bit more,” he concluded.

Wawrinka is certainly no fluke. He has defeated Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at their peak and he certainly deserves all the praise. The 35-year-old is definitely going to be a big threat at the biggest events once the season resumes, given how many times he’s risen to the occasion in the past.