Wawrinka: 'The current tennis generation is better than the previous one'

The veteran Swiss player highly praises the skill level of the younger players today, especially highlighting two prominent figures: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Stan Wawrinka's comeback at the 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is not only personally significant as it marks the final season of "Stan the Man's" career, but also serves as an opportunity for the Swiss player to share insightful views about the next generation—particularly the two leading names in men's tennis today: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

The 2016 champion (after defeating Marco Baghdatis) admits he clearly senses the sport's advancement through each generation. According to Wawrinka, the current level of play is truly very high.

"If you look at Jannik and Carlos right now, you can see the standards they set are extremely impressive.", the former world No. 3 commented. "The new generation always tends to be better than the previous one. Playing conditions have changed, the ball and court are a bit slower, physical fitness and tactics have evolved. But the intensity and quality remain at a very high level."

Wawrinka has faced Sinner multiple times and acknowledges that recent matches have been very challenging. He hopes to compete against Alcaraz at least once more before retiring at the end of this year. For the veteran Swiss star, having the chance to face the best young players today is a privilege.

During his over 20 years of professional tennis, Wawrinka has experienced the era of the great "Big 3": Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and now witnesses a generational transition. He believes that Novak Djokovic still being able to compete with Alcaraz and Sinner makes this period even more special: "As a tennis fan in general, it’s amazing to witness this."

Wawrinka played his opening match at the 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on February 23 (Vietnam time), where he had little difficulty against wildcard Benjamin Hassan. "Stan the Man's" opponent in the second round will be either Daniil Medvedev or Shang Juncheng.