Stan Wawrinka : “The new generation is always going to be better than the latest”
Following a clinical first-round victory in Dubai under the watchful eye of Roger Federer, the three-time Grand Slam champion entered the fray of the Mouratoglou-Tsonga debate, asserting that the physical and technical levels of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have elevated the sport beyond previous eras.
Stan Wawrinka, portrait, 2026 | © JB Autissier / Open Occitanie
The debate over whether tennis reached its zenith during the era of the Big Three or is currently scaling new heights with the emergence of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz found a definitive voice today in Dubai. Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam champion now navigating the final season of his storied career, stepped into the crossfire of a generational dispute that has captivated the sport since the start of the year.
“The new generation is always going to be better than the latest,” Wawrinka said during a press conference at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. “If you look at the level right now of Jannik and Carlos, it’s been crazy high. I had the chance to play Jannik many times, and the last few times were really tough. Hopefully, I can play Carlos once before I stop playing.”
If you look at the level right now of Jannik and Carlos, it’s been crazy high.
Wawrinka’s comments were prompted by a series of questions regarding the “density” of the modern game. Reporters asked the 40-year-old Swiss veteran if he agreed with recent assessments that the current top-tier players have surpassed the technical and physical standards set by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.
They also pushed him to weigh in on whether the supporting cast in today’s Top 10 is as formidable as the generation that included himself, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, and David Ferrer.
The 2014 Australian Open champion framed the sport’s progression as an inevitable “puzzle” where each new wave of athletes builds upon the blueprints of the previous one. While he labeled the Big Four as the best players the game has ever seen in terms of overall legacy, he insisted that the current “Big Two” are already operating at an unprecedented level of physical output.
This intervention by Wawrinka provides a crucial data point in a rivalry that has turned personal between Patrick Mouratoglou and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The tension ignited during the 2026 Australian Open when Tsonga expressed skepticism about the depth of the current tour.
Mouratoglou responded with a pointed critique, claiming that the modern Top 10 is objectively superior and questioning Tsonga’s own longevity at the top of the game. Tsonga’s retort – dismissing Mouratoglou as “just a coach” who had never “entered the arena” – has since become one of the most talked-about feuds in French tennis history.
The inflammatory rhetoric of Mouratoglou and Tsonga
Wawrinka, who was a contemporary of Tsonga but remains an active competitor against the new guard, essentially offered a middle ground. By acknowledging the “crazy high” level of Sinner and Alcaraz, he validated Mouratoglou’s technical perspective while avoiding the inflammatory rhetoric that characterized the earlier exchange. He noted that the speed and biomechanics of the younger generation are simply a natural evolution of the sport.
As he prepares for what is likely his final appearance in Dubai, the man affectionately known as Stanimal seems at peace with his place in history. He admitted that while he still possesses the “solutions” to compete, the physical requirements to implement them against players twenty years his junior are increasingly difficult to meet.
On his own side, Wawrinka said that his primary goal for the remainder of 2026 is simple: to enjoy the competition and perhaps share the court with Alcaraz for a final, generational passing of the torch. He moved into the last 16 by beating Lebanese Benjamin Hassan 7-5, 6-3 on Monday. Wawrinka will face the winner of the match between Russian Daniil Medvedev, the No 3 seed, and Chinese Juncheng Shang next.
