Stan Wawrinka shared his views on his famed “baby-gate” feud vs. Mirka Federer during the 2014 ATP Finals.
To refresh your memory, tempers flared and trash talk reverberated as Roger Federer fought off match points edging buddy Wawrinka 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 in a tense 2014 semifinal showdown of the ATP Finals at London’s O2 Arena.
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That match generated global attention as Wawrinka charged Federer’s wife, Mirka Federer, who was seated courtside, with shouting and whistling as he was about to serve in an effort to distract him.
In response, Mirka called Stan “a baby” from her court-side seat.
That crack prompted Wawrinka to complain to the chair umpire that it wasn’t the first time Mirka played the trash talk card against him.
Revisiting that incident in a recent interview with RMC translated by We Love Tennis, Wawrinka said things got heated during and after that semifinal.
“Very, very hot, very, very complicated, on both sides. It’s a good thing there were no cameras in the hallways and locker rooms back then,” Wawrinka said. “But once again, at some point, when you get caught up in the emotion, for things that don’t necessarily happen because of your fault, you have to know how to take some distance.”
After a couple of days to chill, Wawrinka said he and Federer discussed the issue and put it behind them.
A week after the tiff, the long-time friends went on to lead Switzerland to its maiden Davis Cup championship with a stirring victory over host France in the 2014 Davis Cup final.
Mirka Federer was not at the Davis Cup final leading to speculation Wawrinka requested she not attend.
Looking back, Wawrinka said the strength of his long-time friendship with Federer, and their shared desire to capture the Davis Cup for Switzerland, helped them put the dispute behind them and focus on the final.
“Don’t forget everything we’ve been through together, let the night and the next day pass, don’t see each other and then simply discuss it,” Wawrinka said. “We had to remember that we had a Davis Cup to win. I wasn’t going to let a little argument, which became a big one because of the emotions, disrupt this victory.”
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