Tennis has been transformed over the last five decades by TV, money, technology, equipment, fashion and politics. But through all of that, the players have remained at the heart of the game. As part of our golden anniversary celebration of the Open era, Tennis.com presents its list of 50 best players—the Top 25 men and the Top 25 women—of the last 50 years. You'll be able to view the entire list in the March/April issue of TENNIS Magazine.

(Note: Only singles results were considered; any player who won a major title during the Open era had his or her entire career evaluated; all statistics are through the 2018 Australian Open.)

*Years played: 2002—

Titles: 16

Major titles: 3*

“Ever Tried. Ever Failed. No Matter. Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better.” As far as inspirational verses go, the one that Wawrinka has tattooed on his left forearm is unusual. Who would take motivation from the words of Samuel Beckett, a playwright whose major themes include isolation, suffering and defeat? And who would take it from a phrase of his that never makes success sound like a possibility?

Stan the Man, that’s who. Like his tattoo, Wawrinka’s journey to the top has been unlike anyone else’s. For most of his career, Grand Slam glory never seemed to be in the cards. Wawrinka arrived on tour at the same time as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and he was expected by many to rise alongside them. He had the strength to survive in the ever-more physical men’s game, and he had an X-factor: a one-handed backhand that was as explosive as it was picturesque. But to this mild-mannered Swiss farm boy, Djokovic, Nadal, and his countryman Roger Federer were mountains too high to climb. They were steely “mutants,” as Wawrinka called them, while he was thoroughly human, filled with doubts and nerves.

By 2014, the 28-year-old Wawrinka had cracked the Top 10 and won four minor titles. But his combined record against Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer was just 3-44. His frustration peaked at the 2013 Australian Open, when he lost one of the titanic struggles of this decade, 12-10 in the fifth set to Djokovic. He had failed again, but this time Wawrinka really had failed better—it was enough to convince him he could succeed. The following year in Melbourne, he beat Djokovic and won his first major. He has followed it with two more, and helped Switzerland to its first Davis Cup title. In his 30s, Wawrinka has gained a belated reputation as a player who, when the spotlight is bright and the stage is grand, rarely fails to rise to the occasion.

Defining Moment: In the 2015 French Open final, Wawrinka faced a seemingly unbeatable Novak Djokovic, who came in riding a 29-match win streak. But Stan, hammering 60 winners, stopped the Serb cold with one of the Open era’s most jaw-dropping performances.

Watch: Wawrinka tours New York after winning 2016 US Open

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Follow the men's and women's countdowns of The 50 Greatest Players of the Open Era throughout the month of February right here.