When the Swiss step out for their next match, pay attention to Wawrinka’s wardrobe. For a t-shirt that reads “Belinda’s World” is among the articles of clothing in his bag.
“It’s the least I expect. I mean, how do you treat a gift like that?” said Bencic after joking that it was only a travel wearable.
“You sure? Okay, done deal. I will be wearing it in Sydney when she’s playing,” declared Wawrinka. “No pressure, but now you have to keep playing that good.”
Wawrinka has held his own as he awaits word on whether he’ll be awarded a main-draw wild card into the Australian Open, the site of his first major triumph 12 years ago. The Lausanne native defeated Arthur Rinderknech to open 2026, pushed Flavio Cobolli to a decisive tiebreaker and went down to Sebastian Baez, 7-5, 6-4, in his most recent outing.
