Roger Federer never won a singles gold medal but he did win a doubles one in Beijing in 2008 with Stan Wawrinka right beside him.
Despite their combined skill, the pair surprised many with their unexpected victory in Beijing. Wawrinka had not yet experienced his breakthrough, and Federer was widely thought to take home the gold in the singles competition.
Even though it was the only gold Federer would ever win, Wawrinka was once again present when they led Switzerland to victory in the Davis Cup. The younger Swiss player will never forget those experiences or how Roger treated him.
"When I arrived, Roger was already at the top of tennis. He took me a little like a big brother. He helped me, we trained a lot together," remembers Wawrinka.
"I was lucky to be able to rub shoulders with him a lot, in training, in tournaments. In the Davis Cup, we shared a lot of things. Afterwards, he simply became a friend. We were a little at the same level, not career, but behavior, mutual aid," continued Stan.
Wawrinka would carve out a piece of tennsi history for himself by winning three grand slams in the era of the big three when all three of them were pretty much at their peak. Still he some of his success would not be possible without Federer:
"I owe him a lot in my career. There was something positive. I grew up and improved thanks to him. He helped me a lot. Thanks to him, I won the Olympic Games and the Davis Cup. These are two of the biggest headlines of my career."
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