Tennis Champ Stan Wawrinka Takes On A New Role: Fashionisto

Photo Credit: Lewis Joly for evian

Ahead of NY Fashion Week and the US Open, Swiss tennis champ Stan Wawrinka is tackling a new role that blends both of his loves: fashionisto. The evian ambassador has teamed up with sustainable fashion brand, Rothy’s to promote a limited-edition, tennis-inspired capsule collection made with recycled evian water bottles. To create the capsule collection, evian bottles were blended with other recycled plastic bottles and then transformed into soft, washable thread, which Rothy’s used to knit each item to shape. The limited-edition offerings feature an assortment of durable and washable footwear, tennis gear and accessories. Here, we spoke to the tennis pro ahead of the US Open, which runs this year from August 29 – September 11.

Photo Credit: damanius/shutterstock.com

Photo Credit: Rothys 

Tell us about your training routine.

Right now, the days are quite busy and long. I will go to the gym for more or less 1 hour as a good warm up and then will practice tennis for about 2-3 hours. Right now the weather is hot conditions– I have to be careful with what I am drinking during practice and before/ after. After I practice tennis, I will go to the gym again to do some cool downs and finish with 1 hour of fitness. I am in NYC now practicing for the US Open.
How do you keep motivated both mentally and physically with such a demanding schedule with training and tournaments?
For me the motivation is quite easy— I love the sport, I love what I am doing and I am passionate about playing tennis. I always enjoy the process and what it takes to be able to play at that level—the practicing you have to do or the scheduling you have to make to be able to play (at this level). I’ll never forget why I started playing tennis when I was a kid because it was a game and I just enjoyed it and loved to play. I still enjoy it and and I enjoy the matches. I think the best way is to play big matches in front of the fans—they keep me motivated.

The US Open is starting soon. Are you ready? How do you get your game face on?

I am feeling much better about it— I was away from the sport for more than a year with two surgeries and it took me a few months to feel good physically and I think tennis wise now I am feeling great. Right now while practicing, my level is very high and I am happy with where I am at, I just need to do the same in matches and find the confidence. I need to win a few matches in order to really show up and play at the level I want to play at.

What are your secret tips for staying hydrated and healthy?

As an athlete, keeping hydrated is especially important to me so I drink a lot of water and I always keep a bottle of evian with me as my go-to—on and off the court—because it has naturally occurring electrolytes and minerals giving it a crisp, clear taste. Healthy hydration is essential to keep me feeling my best. I think for any athlete especially for tennis, as we do not know how long the match will last, it is really important to start hydrating yourself before the match and in recovery mode.

Photo Credit: Rothys

Tell us about this new collection Rothy’s x evian are launching. Did you have any involvement in the collection? How did you become involved?

Evian partnered with Rothy’s to launch a limited-edition, tennis-inspired capsule collection made with repurposed evian water bottles. The collection features footwear, tennis gear and accessories, and you can find it starting August 23 on Rothys.com and Rothy’s NYC stores. Together the two brands partnered to collect, recycle and repurpose approximately 72,000 evian bottles from New York’s largest tennis tournament last year, furthering a shared mission to keep plastic waste in the economy and out of nature. To create the collection, evian bottles were blended with other recycled plastic bottles and then transformed into soft, washable thread, which Rothy’s used to knit each item to shape. It’s quite fascinating. I wasn’t involved in the creation per se…but I am helping the brand celebrate the official launch at the Rothy’s x evian Launch Party taking place later this week in NY. It’s going to be a blast – we’re taking over Rockefeller Center with a custom-pink tennis court and other fun activities.

What is the motivation behind this new collection? How does it appeal/apply to you?

The goal is to give the evian bottles a second life as courtside gear and accessories using Rothy’s low waste, circular-focused manufacturing method. Evian is such an iconic brand and champion to tennis, and from my time working with the evian brand as a Global Ambassador, I know how important sustainability is for the company – they are committed to being a circular brand by 2025 – and I find it inspiring that they truly finding revolutionary and unique ways, like this, to help limit packaging waste and promote recycling. My favorite item from the collection is the duffel bag.

How long have you been a Global Ambassador for evian and what does this partnership mean to you?

I have a long-standing relationship with evian. I’ve been a Global Ambassador since 2015. Preserving the environment has always been of upmost importance to me, and evian shares this mindset. It’s been such an authentic partnership for me, and I’m honored to be part of the family after all this time.

Photo Credit: Rothys

What does a typical day in your life look like? Let’s break it down.

Right now especially before grand slam, it is quite a big routine—I like to wake up early, usually around 7, and start my day with water and coffee. Then, I will go to the gym a little bit, go on site at New York’s largest tennis tournament, then go to the gym again to get a good warm up before practicing tennis for about 2 hours or more. I will then go back to the gym and adjust for a cool down, shower, then lunch with my team to catch up and talk about what all is happening. I will then do treatment for about an hour, and then get back to Manhattan and enjoy a bit of being in NYC. It is one of my favorite cities in the world.

What advice would you give to your younger self to get to where you are at now?

I don’t think I would give any advice because I am happy with the way that my life has gone and am happy to see how passionate I was then and still am now. After so many years of playing tennis, I still love the game and for me that is the most important part. I love it and I love to play in front of the fans and the emotions that gives me; I want to enjoy that for as long as possible as long as I am feeling good on the court.

What to you is the greatest luxury in life and why?

I think the greatest luxury is to have time to spend with the people that you love. It’s the most important thing—I think people realize that a bit more after the last few years. I think it is something that we need to enjoy as much as possible. Another thing is I love traveling and I think being able to travel to countries that you love and to discover is great.

Photo Credit: Rothys