Old is the wind: Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, the veterans who resist children and time

The new generation is gaining more and more ground on the ATP Tour. At the Indian Wells Masters 1000, 18 of the 32 players who made it to the third round are under the age of 25With Spanish Carlos Alcarazin the running to recover the number one in the world, and the Dane Rune Holger, both 19, like the young representatives. And even if for the second consecutive year the tournament is played without the Big 3 –Roger Federerretired last year; Rafael Nadal, wound; AND Novak Djokovicabsent because he has not received clearance to enter the United States without having been vaccinated against Covid-, there are two old-guard rackets delighting the public in the Californian desert: Andy Murray AND Stan Wawrinka.

They, who knew how to be protagonists in the best years of that extraordinary trio and were among the few who could challenge Roger’s hegemony, Raf AND Freight, They are the only ones over 35 in the third wheel of the contest.

The 35-year-old Scot reached that level by beating the Moldovan 6-4, 6-3 Radu Albot, in what was her first straight set victory since October. On his debut he had overtaken the Argentine Thomas Etcheverry, 23, in a closely contested match. Meanwhile, the Swiss, who at 37 is the oldest in the top 100, lowered the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic14 years younger, by 7-6 (10-8) and 6-4.

After suffering several seasons with injuries and physical problems, Murray and Wawrinka are once again performing well at the top level. And although they know the end of their career is getting closer and closer, through hard work, perseverance and love for the sport they continue to enjoy and surprise with their talent and prowess.

Murray, former world number one and winner of three Grand Slam tournaments (il US Open 2012 and Wimbledon 2013 and 2016), was about to close the racket in January 2019, when in an exciting press conference before the Australian Open warned that this would likely be his last tournament, because I could no longer walk without pain due to a hip problem.

Four years later, with a titanium hip, he continues to rack up successes and moves towards his goal of returning to the elite.

The celebration against Albot was the 491st of his career on hard courts and allowed him to clear the Jimmy Connor (490), to remain the fifth with the most wins on that type of surface, behind Federer (783), Djokovic (670), Andre Agassi (592) and nadal (516).

The Scotsman, who dropped out of the top 800 after an initial hip surgery in 2018, had already achieved results after almost withdraw. In October 2019, she won her first title after two years, in Antwerp, beating Wawrinka in the final. But only last year he returned to some regularity.

Played finals in Sydney and Stuttgart, tournament in which he added his first win against a top 5 player after six seasons (against Stephen Tsitsipas, in the rooms). And after the German race, he was back in the top 50 after four years. And two weeks ago he reached the decisive stage in Doha.

“I want to sign good performances in big events again,” he said before his debut who hasn’t won three consecutive matches in a Masters 1000 since Paris 2016. “I feel like I’m playing well enough to do it. Physically I feel better than ever, so that if I have to play three or four games in a few days I think I can do it at a high level.At this point in my career you want to make the most of every opportunity you have to play these types of events. You never know when the last time will be“, graphic.

Mr Andythat this Monday he will now have another difficult match against his compatriot Jack Drapper (age 21), added his best Indian Wells performance in 2009 when he lost the final to Nadal. Since 2015, the edition in which he was a semifinalist, he hasn’t reached the round of 16.

Stan’s resilience

Wawrinka’s festivities this week in Palm Springs surprised even more. The Swiss, who managed to reach third position in the world rankings and also lifted three “big” trophies (Australia 2014, Roland Garros 2016 and US Open 2016), has struggled in recent years with back, knee, groin and left foot. The latter began to annoy him at the end of 2020, got worse at the beginning of 2021 and it kept him out of court for more than a year.

The inactivity of almost 13 months caused him to drop a lot in the world rankings: he even reached 361st last May (the drop would have been greater if it hadn’t been for the protected ranking that was implemented due to the pandemic). But he never stopped working on his recovery and got back on track nearly a year ago.

However, the results weren’t immediate. He had a very uneven 2022: he finished with an 8-14 record and only in September was he able to rack up three or more victories in the same week, reaching the semifinals in Metz, his best performance of the year. In 2023 he reached the quarterfinals in Rotterdam and Marseille and re-entered the top 100group from which he started at the beginning of 2022.

But in Indian Wells he seems to have rediscovered his tennis and, even if he will have a very difficult duel in the third round (he will play this Monday with Rune, eight in the world and one of the jewels of the new generation), he is enthusiastic about returning to the round of 16 of the tournament for the first time since 2017, when he lost the final to his friend Federer.

What is the Swiss’s secret to staying competitive two weeks after turning 38 and after the many headaches that his physique has caused him? His love of work and his ability to enjoy every step of the way.

“Even if some days are not that easy, you always have to push yourself. You have to have great discipline. I love the job and I love the process of getting there, so I’m lucky and happy to enjoy what I have to do to be at the highest level and also when I play matches. I always like everything I do. If you stop playing sports at a certain point after 30, it’s impossible to go back. It’s very difficult,” he commented in a chat with ATP extension. com after his win against Kecmanovic.

And I add: “It’s a privilege to be a tennis player. It’s a privilege to play at that level and in the biggest tournaments in the world. As long as I feel competitive with what I do, as long as I feel like I can beat the best players, I will enjoy it. And today I feel competitive. I know that when I enter the court, most of the time I can beat my opponent. I’m not young anymore, but I still believe I can win tournaments. I don’t know at what level, but obviously I want to win a trophy before I quit.”

Murray and Wawrinka knew how to shine in the golden age of Big 3: they are the only two players other than that trio to have managed to win more than one Grand Slam in the past 20 years. Injuries and physical problems have affected their careers. Members of an inexhaustible generation, they are competitive again and at Indian Wells they carry the flag of the old guard and dream of touching glory again.