"Even if I lost to them, it was always a challenge": Stan Wawrinka compares Nadal, Djokovic and Federer and discusses rivalry with trio

Former World No.3 Stan Wawrinka has opened up on the challenges he faced when playing against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the members of the infamous Big Three of men's tennis.

Having won three Grand Slam titles, Wawrinka has faced the trio on numerous occasions. The Swiss star won the Australian Open in 2014, the French Open in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. Furthermore, he holds the following records against the Big Three: 6-21 against Djokovic; 3-19 against Nadal and 3-23 against Federer.

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Wawrinka details facing each player

In an interview with Ole, Wawrinka spoke on the differences when facing each of the legendary trio.

“I think they have a different style of play, admitted the World No.60. "You have Rafa who is left-handed, [the matches are] very hard, very physical. It’s hard physically and mentally to play against him. Roger is a faster player, who makes you feel uncomfortable on the court, and Novak is the perfect player, because of the way he played. I had the chance to beat them several times, but I lost many times against all three of them.
But for me it was always an opportunity to play against the best players in the history of tennis. Even if I lost to them, it was always a challenge. It’s always something special to play against those players.”