Stan keen to relive the Olympic dream

Stan Wawrinka is back competing in the Olympic Games for the first time in 12 years and is excited to be reliving his Beijing 2008 and London 2012 experiences flying the flag for Switzerland.

At 39, the three-time Grand Slam champion is the oldest player in the men’s singles event and is ready for what will be, most likely, his last roll of the Olympic dice.

Wawrinka never dreamt he’d have the chance to play the Olympics again.

“I’m super happy and excited to be playing the Olympics. Olympics is a dream for every athlete. It’s a celebration of sports in general. I loved the experience I had in Beijing and in London so I’m super excited to be here in Paris.”

The reason of course for Wawrinka’s particularly fond Olympic memories is the gold medal that he won in doubles with Roger Federer in Beijing, the Swiss pair defeating Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson to clinch the title in 2008.

They celebrated with one of the more original demonstrations of delight, one that involved Wawrinka warming his hands over Federer who was flat on his back on the court.

That victory felt completely different to the others he’s experienced in tennis. “The chance to play in Beijing with Roger in doubles for the Swiss team of course is completely different.”

“The experience you live in the village, with all the athletes, with all the Swiss team is unbelievable so I’m super happy to have the chance to play another Olympics.”

Paris has been a happy place for Wawrinka during his long career. He won the boys’ title at Roland Garros in 2003, and the second of his three Grand Slam titles here in 2015 with a stunning victory over Novak Djokovic in the final. His other major titles were at the 2014 Australian Open and the 2016 US Open.

“I’m happy that we’re playing in Paris, in Roland Garros. I love the city, I love the place, so it’s going to be exciting.”

Wawrinka will play his first round match against Pavel Kotov this weekend, with his younger opponent leading their head-to-head 1-0.