Stan Wawrinka splits with long time coach

FILE PHOTO: Tennis – Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka during his quarter-final match against Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov at Mexican Open. REUTERS/Henry Romero

Stan Wawrinka has split with his long-time coach Magnus Norman, the man who helped him win three Grand Slam titles, the Swiss player announced on Monday.

Wawrinka posted a message on Instagram saying his eight-year alliance with the Swede was over.

“After eight great years together (Magnus Norman) and I have decided to part ways by mutual consent,” Wawrinka, 35, said.

“We have had an amazingly strong, enjoyable and hugely successful partnership. We reached the height of this sport together and I want to thank him for helping me win everything that I could ever dreamt of winning.”

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While Wawrinka was always capable of strong results he lived very much in the shadow of Roger Federer until he beat Rafa Nadal in the Australian Open final in 2014.

It was only the second time since 2005 that a player outside the then ‘big four’ of Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray had won a Grand Slam title.

Wawrinka proved that was no flash in the pan by beating Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final and won his third Slam title at the 2016 U.S. Open, also beating Djokovic.

Under Norman’s watchful eye Wawrinka broke into the world’s top four, reaching number three in 2014.

“He’s been a great coach, friend and mentor and will always be a dear friend. I want to publicly thank him for all his hard work dedication and commitment in making me a better player over the years,” Wawrinka said.

“Winning three Grand Slams has been a life changing experience for me and I could not have done that without him.”

Wawrinka, now ranked 17th in the world, is preparing for next week’s French Open.