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U.S. OPEN

September 1, 2014

Stan Wawrinka

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

S. WAWRINKA/T. Robredo
7-5, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. That was a pretty hard-fought match. Do you think you won it because you wanted it a bit more than him?
STAN WAWRINKA: I don't know if I want it more than him, but I want it a lot for sure. I think there were a few moments in the match that's make big difference. I think I want it also because mentally I was really strong today. I was accepting the fact that I was really down physically in the third set, that I was struggling a lot with cramping and everything. But I wasn't complaining about that. I stayed positive with that. Tried to find solution how to relax mentally, how to be better, in better shape after and how to fight with him. To find a solution in the game, try to be a little bit more aggressive, try to start again to take my forehand back, not only playing backhand. Few little change that make big difference at the end of the match.

Q. (Indiscernible.)
STAN WAWRINKA: Was not feeling great, but I know how is it in five-set match. That's why I'm normally so strong, because I know that I have few lives. Even if I can feel really bad in the third set, I always find solution how to get better, how to relax physically, and at the end I was feeling good.

Q. What effect on you does Australia still have?
STAN WAWRINKA: Oh, I don't know. I don't know for sure. Give me always confidence when I'm on the court, especially in five-sets match, especially in Grand Slam. For me it's more that my level is way better this year than last year and I'm playing better. I'm stronger mentally when I have to. But then when I'm playing today I'm not thinking about Australia. I'm thinking about how to find a way to beat him, because I think he was really playing his best tennis. It was tough to beat him today. But I'm happy the way I did find some solution and the way I start to play better in the fourth set.

Q. Can you describe the play when you dove into the stands? Maybe take us through that and what effect it had on you.
STAN WAWRINKA: It was crazy a little bit when I arrive in the stand, because it never happen to me. It was quite a bad fall. But I'm lucky it didn't have any big problem with that. I was already struggling physically, so was nothing from the fall. I think I was quite lucky with that.

Q. We don't know who you're going to play in the next round. Would you take each of those opponents and describe the matchup. Starting with Raonic, what would be the key to your game versus his?
STAN WAWRINKA: Raonic is playing really, really good this year. He's winning a lot of matches. I think he made quarterfinal or better in every Masters 1000; playing semifinal at Wimbledon. He's serving big, really big. He's putting a lot of pressure, using his forehand a lot, and trying to really put pressure. I practiced with him a few times this year playing I think in Monte-Carlo. For me the key against him is to serve well and be really aggressive. Don't give him time, like I always try when I play big server. Try to find solution how to return. You know that you gonna take aces. You know that he is gonna make a lot of winners. But you have to accept that and just be aggressive on my service game and find solution how to make him move. Don't give him time and try to come as much as I can to the net.

Q. And against Nishikori?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, Nishikori, he's also playing well this year. A little bit more up and down. He's struggling physically sometimes. And it's different game with Nishikori. He's a shot maker. He's trying to -- you have more rallies; you have more time to play the game. I think for me it's more about being aggressive from the baseline, trying to make him work as much as I can, and see how I can make a long match.

Q. You were saying that future venues, Ashe or Armstrong, that you have more preference to play in the smaller venue. Is that because it's a more intimate setting?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah. Just love to play on the Armstrong court. Atmosphere is always great, especially when you play a late match and it's packed. Like today. For sure the fans are closer. It's fun from every court. The atmosphere, you feel it more. You feel more the support from the fans. Even if Ashe is good, but to have a great atmosphere on Ashe you have to be sure that it's full house.

Q. What was Robredo complaining about? He said you did something that was not nice.
STAN WAWRINKA: What was that?

Q. That's all he said. You did something that was not nice.
STAN WAWRINKA: Like he did something that was not nice. That's it. I have no problem with him. It's always the same when you play a tough match. Always try to find solution how to win. He did few things that I did not like it, but at the end of the day it's a tennis match. What's happen on the tennis courts, you have to keep it there. I think it's all okay. No, I have no problem with his team.

Q. From that point forward you really started to pull away.
STAN WAWRINKA: From what?

Q. From that point moving forward, you pulled away from him. Did that have a factor at all?
STAN WAWRINKA: Not really, you know. At the end I was starting to play better, more aggressive. Was a little bit down not winning the third set, and, yeah, I was serving better and just more aggressive in general. You know, nothing to do with that.

Q. Since you won Australia, did you notice some difference in the way that other players treat you? I mean off the court in the locker room, are they more friendly? Or the opposite, less friendly?
STAN WAWRINKA: (Smiling). When you go up in the ranking, for sure you have more friends (laughter). But nothing more. The rest, the rest I don't care. I'm doing my own thing trying to be there, trying to be the same. I'm here to practice; here to win matches. That's it. The rest I really don't care.

Q. How did you cope with the four days off now that you had? Did you find easy to have a rhythm?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, the only part that was difficult is to find the rhythm when you come back to play the match. The good thing, good news is that I won that match. I still had only three matches since now, so even if today was really tough match I did save a lot of energy during the four days. But for sure when you don't -- especially in Grand Slam, when you don't play matches for four days or even more, because I had quite a lot of time, it's never easy to find the rhythm straight when you come back and you play Robredo.

Q. Raonic said at Wimbledon that your victory in Australia gave him and all the other guys trying to break into the Big 4 to win a major belief. How does that make you feel when you hear your effect with that win on everybody else?
STAN WAWRINKA: Nothing special for me. I heard that a lot straight after my victory from almost all the players. But in the end, if you look who won the majors since then, it's still the same. For Milos, it's a little bit different. He's improving a lot. He's really young. He's there. He's No. 5 in the world. He's going to be even better in the future. But from the other players that was saying that just after my victory, I think it's not that simple just to win a major. It's not because I did it that they gonna do it. It's quite difficult, especially when we see you have Novak to beat, you have Roger to beat, and you also have Andy to beat. You have Rafa is not here, but he was at the French Open. So it's quite not simple to win a major.

Q. How did it change your life, winning that major?
STAN WAWRINKA: It change my tennis life a lot. It's different life, you know. Winning a Grand Slam, it's part of the history of the tennis and everything. But now I'm back to normal, for sure. I'm No. 4 in the world, so change a lot. Especially in Switzerland and even here. But I'm back, back to normal. I'm practicing well. My head is focused on the tennis, trying to win as much as I can, and we'll see where I can go this week.

Q. How soon after the match did you check Twitter tonight? You're on Twitter a lot more than other players. How soon after the match did you check Twitter? Did you enjoy being able to talk to the fans directly?
STAN WAWRINKA: Depends which day and everything. Yeah, I try to be on Twitter. It's great for the fans to give something more personal and not only what the media bring. But depends. I was in the fitness, in the gym to check a little bit, but didn't run through everything yet.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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