Stan Wawrinka must get past Rafael Nadal to remain perfect in Grand Slam finals

Stan Wawrinka avenged his loss to Andy Murray and faces Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.
Stan Wawrinka must get past Rafael Nadal to remain perfect in Grand Slam finals
Stan Wawrinka must get past Rafael Nadal to remain perfect in Grand Slam finals /

It’s no Federer-Nadal, but the most textured sub-rivalry in tennis puts Andy Murray against Stan Wawrinka. They’ve each won three major titles. They both would be once-in-a-generation players, were it not for the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic triad. They were at No. 1 and 3 in the seedings entering the 2017 French Open. They added to compendium on Friday.

A rematch of last year’s semifinal—which Murray won in four sets—the two exchange tracer fire, but also nuance and momentum, for four-and-a-half-hours. When Murray failed to close out the match in the fourth set tiebreaker, he had no more ammo left in the chamber. Still well armed, Wawrinka squeezed off another round of aces and winner and closed out a demi-classic 6-7, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 6-1. In the end, he didn't just beat Murray; he broke him.

Wawrinka has achieved a great deal in tennis. Three majors, including Roland Garros in 2015. He’s made an enviable habit of playing his best tennis at the biggest events. He’s been particularly strong at the French Open, where’s won 18 of his last 19 matches. One thing he’s never done: lost in a Grand Slam final. He’ll try and keep it that way on Sunday.

Snapshots from the semifinals

French Open 2017 semifinals

Rafael Nadal

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Dominic Thiem

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images
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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Stan Wawrinka

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Stan Wawrinka

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Dominic Thiem

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Stan Wawrinka

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images
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Andy Murray

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Stan Wawrinka

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Stan Wawrinka

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Timea Bacsinszky

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Timea Bacsinszky

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Timea Bacsinszky

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko

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Jelena Ostapenko

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Timea Bacsinszky, Jelena Ostapenko

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Jelena Ostapenko

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Simona Halep

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Simona Halep

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images

Published
Jon Wertheim
JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.