Former world number one Jim Courier has stated that he will pick
Switzerland’s
Stan Wawrinka ahead of Britain’s
Andy Murray for a match against
one of the ‘Big 3’ players.
The men’s tennis world has been dominated by the likes of Serbia’s
Novak Djokovic, Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Spain’s Rafael Nadal over the
last 20 years and they are also called the ‘Big 3’.
Other than those three players, some major tournaments have
been won by other players, notably Wawrinka and Murray.
Courier, while commentating during a match, suggested that he would
pick the 38-year-old ahead of the former
world number if there is a match against one of the Big 3 players.
"I know Murray and Stan each won 3 slams but I'll take
peak Stan over peak Murray vs. the Big 3 anytime,” he said. Stan's peak form
was just a bully against the Big 3 in slams. Murray wasn't.
"Career wise you take Murray for sure but if it's one
match against the big 3 in peak form, Stan all day. When he retires we will
miss that sweet backhand and of course Stan's pajama shorts at the
French."
Wawrinka remains one of the most underrated players in men’s
singles tennis in the recent past, having won three major titles in his career.
His first triumph was in 2014 in the Australian Open where
he defeated Nadal in the final with a score of 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3.
His second and third Grand Slam victories came after
defeating legendary Djokovic in the final — first in the 2015 French Open with a
score of 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 and then in the 2016 US Open with a score of 6–7(1–7), 6–4, 7–5, 6–3.
On the other hand, Murray has also won three Grand Slams in
his career — Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 and the US Open in 2012.