Why Roger Federer once had to clarify critical comments about Stan Wawrinka after Davis Cup controversy

Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka were once at the centre of a Switzerland Davis Cup controversy.

Federer and Wawrinka are the two most successful Swiss players in ATP history, having won a combined 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

The two compatriots also joined forces together to win doubles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and to help Switzerland win the Davis Cup for the first time in 2014.

While Federer and Wawrinka were in unison for Switzerland’s Davis Cup win that year, there was some controversy after the former made comments about his teammate following their defeat in 2012.

Roger Federer was mistranslated in comments about Stan Wawrinka’s Davis Cup performance

Switzerland were handed a tricky opener for their 2012 against record 32-time champions USA, with the tie taking place at home for the likes of Federer and Wawrinka in Fribourg.

Despite being the home team, Switzerland were thrashed by the USA 5-0, as their chances of winning a first Davis Cup title fell flat. This saw Wawrinka beaten in five sets by Mardy Fish, while Federer was beaten in four sets by John Isner, as they also lost their doubles match together against Fish and Mike Bryan.

Federer and Wawrinka’s loss in doubles sealed victory for the USA, and the former made some interesting comments after this match.

“I played well enough in doubles, but Stanislas not so much,” Federer was reported to have said after this, before adding, “[Wawrinka] didn’t have his best match in singles. It’s a shame, because of that defeat we weren’t able to put the U.S under pressure.”

However, it appears that these comments from Federer were mistranslations, something he wanted to reiterate at his next tournament in Rotterdam.

“I did have a day to sort of recover on Sunday and just sort of weather the press,” explained Federer. “It was taken completely the wrong way, me blaming Stan. I would never do that. It was just an unfortunate weekend.

“With many different circumstances leading to our defeat, first and foremost I think the Americans played really well. I’ve had good conversations with the captain [Severin Luthi], with Stan himself on numerous occasions today and yesterday. Just making sure that there’s no misunderstandings between the two of us. It’s just the press that started to create something from nothing really.”

What Roger Federer said about Stan Wawrinka after Switzerland won the Davis Cup

This confusion did not appear to have a lasting impact on Federer and Wawrinka’s relationship, as just two years later they led their nation to a historic victory over France in the 2014 Davis Cup final in Lille.

Federer claimed the decisive victory in the final against Richard Gasquet, but he wanted to pay tribute to Wawrinka in the press conference after winning the Davis Cup.

“It’s Stan who put us in this great position for Sunday,” Federer said in 2014. “You did (smiling). No, it’s been a long week, but one of the best weeks we’ve had overall as a team. We really had a good time all together. Everybody worked very well.

“So many team members have been on the team for almost 10 years now, some longer. So we know each other very well. Clearly we’re very happy to win it at the end. It’s great for everyone.”

Wawrinka also returned the compliments to Federer, “No, it’s amazing feeling. The best. We all know how it’s great to watch such an amazing player when he’s playing good tennis.

“Yeah, Roger, I still love you (laughter). You know, I didn’t watch the beginning. I was watching from the locker room. I knew it was important to be ready in case for the last match. And I was ready. I had a great warmup with Mishi [Michael Lammer], who is really sick.

“But, no, to be serious, was good. You saw the score. You saw how well Roger was playing, how he just killed Richard today. It was an amazing feeling. I’m really happy for everybody here. I think we’re all enjoying the time.”

Switzerland have not come close to winning the Davis Cup since then, having failed to reach a single quarter-final in the 12 years that have followed.