Switzerland has reacted warmly to tennis player Stanislas Wawrinka’s maiden Grand Slam win at the Australian Open, ranging from official congratulations to over-the-top enthusiasm.
Wawrinka, who has long played in the shadow of Roger Federer, held off world number one Rafael Nadal to claim the title with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory on Sunday in Melbourne.
Swiss President Didier Burkhalter was quick to react after Wawrinka’s win. «Congratulations for your magnificent tournament on the other side of the world, all in strength and courage,» he said in a statement.
The government in canton Vaud where he grew up also warmly congratulated the player.
Back home, his village temporarily changed its name from Saint-Barthélemy to celebrate his win.
The tabloids reacted immediately. Le Matin posted this on Twitter, putting him on «top of the world»:
while Zurich’s Blick was only slightly more low key
However the Tages Anzeiger newspaper’s website summed it up perhaps best with this comment about the player’s recipe for success:
«[Wawrinka] embodies Swiss virtues: diligence, humility and perseverance. […] And that’s why his success is a strong signal at a time when it is difficult to see what our country stands for,» it wrote.