Stan Wawrinka famously forged a reputation as a big-match player during the peak years of his career. Looking back at his run from 2014-16, that well-earned moniker feels like an understatement.
During those three years, Wawrinka was a perfect 3-0 in Grand Slam finals and 1-0 in ATP Masters 1000 finals, beating a member of the Big Three in each title match. The Swiss star claimed his maiden Grand Slam title by beating Rafael Nadal at the 2014 Australian Open and followed it up with trophy-clinching wins against Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. He also beat Roger Federer to earn his lone Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters — all part of 11 consecutive tour-level final victories during that remarkable three-year run.
Out of all those titles, it’s the three major triumphs that have proven most memorable. ATPTour.com looks back at Wawrinka’s three Grand Slam final victories.
2014 Australian Open
Wawrinka def. Nadal 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
A first Grand Slam final would be a nerve-wracking occasion for just about any player… but not Wawrinka, thanks to a mindset that underpinned much of his big-match success.
After beating Djokovic in a five-set quarter-final, Wawrinka, then 28, felt pressure to make it count in the semi-finals. But once he beat Tomas Berdych in four sets, he was cool, calm and collected against Nadal — against whom he had not taken a set in 12 previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.
"For me it was much easier than the semi-final. I was feeling honestly my best," Wawrinka reflected in 2025 on the “Nothing Major” podcast. "I was really excited in a good way. I was not nervous at all. I knew I was playing my best tennis... If I'm going to lose the final against Rafa, it's still going to be an amazing tournament."
In top form, the Swiss quickly built a two-set lead as Nadal struggled with a back injury. But the nerves finally started kicking in when he realised just how close he was to glory.
"I started to be nervous during the match when Rafa started to have some back problems,” Wawrinka reflected. “At that moment I started to look on my right, I saw the trophy and I'm like, 'Oh, maybe I can bring it back home.' So that's when I started to be nervous, but before the match I was just enjoying that moment."
Nadal staged a stirring fightback to claim the third set and then erase an early break advantage for Wawrinka in the fourth. But the Swiss stayed on the attack and dictated play down the stretch, striking a forehand winner for the decisive break to make it 5-3. He followed with a love hold for a stress-free finish.
"I still think that I'm dreaming," Wawrinka said after the match. "It's a strange feeling. I saw so many finals. I always try to watch the finals of Grand Slams because that's where the best players are playing.
"Before today, for me it wasn't a dream. I never expected to play a final. I never expected to win a Grand Slam. And right now I just did it."
2015 Roland Garros
Wawrinka def. Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Wawrinka stopped a 28-match winning streak for Djokovic to win his second major crown at Roland Garros. The slower conditions in Court Philippe-Chatrier could not contain the Swiss’ bludgeoning ground game, which wore down Djokovic’s resistance with 60 winners.
"[It was] certainly one of the best matches of my career, if not the best,” Wawrinka said on the day. "It was an incredible atmosphere on court and I felt emotion like I never have before.”
Wawrinka found his stride early in the second set, when a barrage of winners left his opponent searching for answers that would never come. While Djokovic steadied to take a 3-0 lead in the fourth set — bidding to make it the pair’s fifth consecutive Grand Slam five-setter — the best was yet to come for Wawrinka.
The Swiss dug in to level at 3-3, then turned on the style to escape 0/40 at 3-4. After flashing his all-court game in that gritty hold, two roped backhand passing shots helped Wawrinka claim the decisive break.
Unlike in the AO final, there was plenty of drama in Wawrinka’s closing game here. After a would-be ace was overruled on his first match point, he saved a break point behind a second serve and ultimately clinched the title with another picturesque backhand, launching his racquet into the air in celebration.
More than 10 years later, the final and Wawrinka’s larger run is remembered as much for his devastating backhand brilliance as it is for the distinctive plaid Yonex shorts he wore that fortnight. He paid homage to the red, white and gray plaid design by wearing a strip of the pattern on his polo for Roland Garros in 2025.
Looking back in a conversation with Andy Murray in 2020, Djokovic jokingly called the shorts his biggest highlight — or, more accurately, lowlight — of the season. “I hope you burned those shorts!” the Serbian said with a smile. Murray had his say, too: “They were horrific!”
2016 US Open
Wawrinka def. Djokovic 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3
Wawrinka made it 3-0 in Grand Slam finals and ran his winning streak across all tour-level title matches to 11 by again beating Djokovic in four sets at the US Open. He relied on a similar formula in Arthur Ashe Stadium, maintaining a reassuring calm under the bright New York lights and ripping 46 winners in a commanding baseline display.
"This is amazing. I came here without the goal of winning it but stepped on the court trying to win the match,” Wawrinka said post-match. He recently echoed those comments on the “Nothing Major” podcast, saying he never thinks about winning a tournament until he is in the final.
After saving a match point against Daniel Evans in the third round, Wawrinka won each of his next four matches in four sets. Despite coming into the final with significantly more time spent on court than Djokovic, the Swiss grew into the match as it wore on, while Djokovic received two visits from the trainer in the fourth set for treatment on a toe blister.
Before that, with the match on a knife’s edge at 5-5 in the third set, Wawrinka dialled in for a five-game burst to create real separation on the scoreboard for the first time. Denying Djokovic’s final push, he fought off three break points to hold for 4-1 before coolly crossing the finish line.
“This has been absolutely deserved today,” Djokovic said post-match, congratulating Wawrinka. “You were the more courageous player in the decisive moments."
After two early Lexus ATP Head2Head wins against Djokovic, Wawrinka notched just four more victories against the Serbian in 27 total matches. All four of those wins came at majors.
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