After four years together, Stan Wawrinka and Magnus Norman parted ways in October. The successful Swedish coach speaks with highest esteem of his former protégé.
“Good to Great” – Magnus Norman carefully chose the name of his tennis academy. When he took over the fate of the Swiss player in 2013, Wawrinka was a promising player who did not make full use of his potential.
Norman sharpened the rough diamond to champion. Under his aegis, Stan the Man won three Grand Slam titles and climbed to third place in the world rankings. However, Wawrinka was always refused the opportunity to jump on the tennis throne. The performance was too uneven over a longer period of time, and the competition too strong.
“He plays in an era with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray. Without her it would have been number one for him,”Norman is sure. In an interview with Industries del Tenis, former number two in the world also talks about the background of the separation:
“We ended it by mutual agreement. I have two six-year-old twin girls I couldn’t see at home 30 weeks a year – it was very hard.”