Bank on This Swiss

L. Jon Wertheim

July 07, 2008

A versatile Swiss player with an affable disposition and a stop-traffic-gorgeous backhand breezed into Wimbledon's fourth round without dropping a set. And so did Roger Federer. Stanislas Wawrinka, a 23-year-old from Lausanne, might be doomed to spend his career obscured by the shadow cast by his otherworldly countryman. But credit Wawrinka for taking steps toward emerging from that shadow. Having already quietly ascended to No. 9 in the rankings, Wawrinka (above) advanced to the second week of Wimbledon by playing solidly efficient tennis that sometimes resembled that of ... well, you-know-who. Wawrinka lost to Marat Safin on Monday, but his profile could be raised even further at the Beijing Olympics, where he'll partner with Federer in doubles.