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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 30, 2015

Stan Wawrinka

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

N. DJOKOVIC/S. Wawrinka
7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0
An interview with:
STAN WAWRINKA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. There were a lot of ups and downs in this match. How would you describe it?
STAN WAWRINKA: Describe the match? Strange. Not the best, for sure. I think there were a lot of up and down. Beginning conditions weren't too good. It's quite flying a little bit. Balls are not easy to control. Not much. It was not the best match, for sure. I don't know. Next question (smiling).

Q. At one point you asked for eye drops.
STAN WAWRINKA: Nothing special. Just need it. Didn't work well just after, but it was okay. Nothing special.

Q. Why do you think there were so many ups and downs? Both you and Novak seemed to have trouble keeping your best level.
STAN WAWRINKA: You know, at the beginning, as I say, was for me the first night session. Had to adapt a little bit the game. It's quite fast this year. It's not easy to control. Again, I think I'm physically well, playing well in general. Really happy with my level. It was mentally that I think I'm paying off the price to finish off the season with Davis Cup, not having a bigger off-season, trying to focus really well to start well the year with winning Chennai and being here trying to do the best. I told my coach before the match and already yesterday that I was mentally completely dead and no battery. Tough to focus on what I want to do. Tough to focus on my game. And that's what happened today.

Q. Is it tough coming into this match knowing the last two times were classic epics so the bar was very high?
STAN WAWRINKA: No, for that, there's no pressure for that. I'm surprised we went five sets again, even if the last one was 10 minutes. But, no, for sure we had some great battle here last two years. Today was strange match. He was there playing good enough to win and he deserve to win and play the final.

Q. What happened in the fifth set?
STAN WAWRINKA: Had few moments in the match that I could have take a little bit advantage in the game. I had the feeling that I was playing well. But, again, as I say, it's tough for me to focus on what I wanted to do. In third set I had breakpoint. I should have broke the first game. I had easy backhand that the miss. In the fifth the same. With the wind, I had again chance to take advantage, but I was surprised that I came back in the fourth. I was telling my box it was tough for me to stay with him, to find a way to win points. Because I was just trying to fight and to make some good choice, but today I was just not there.

Q. Do you think pressure played a part in this match for you and for Novak? You were especially tight?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, I don't know. It's semifinal. We know each other, that it's going to be always be a tough battle between us. We always try to find solution against each other. Today we didn't play our best tennis, that's for sure. Was a lot of up and down. Was a lot of mistake and everything. But, again, it's like that. He was there. He was stronger tonight, and that's it.

Q. You did break his serve quite a few times tonight. What was the key there?
STAN WAWRINKA: I'm not that bad as a tennis player. Maybe that's why (smiling). I don't know. For sure, you know, when you see the stats, I think he lost his serve once before tonight. Two years ago he didn't lose his serve before playing, and I broke him in the second serve. It's just that we know each other so well. We practice so many time together. In Grand Slam we had some big battle. In other tournaments he always killed me in the score. But, again, as I say, I think my game is there. I'm playing great tennis. Physically I'm there. It's going to be tough, but I need to take the positive from already being in the semifinal.

Q. Do you think you'll be taking a break since you're mentally spent?
STAN WAWRINKA: I'm going to go home. I have one week before the next tournament. Should be fine. I'm going to see. I think I have a good schedule for the year. I try to have some moments when I can practice with my coach and fitness trainer, when I can have some holiday. So should be fine for the year again. I think it's about the schedule for the year. Not what I'm going to do for the next six weeks, but how I see the next six months, nine months.

Q. Are you proud of what you've achieved here?
STAN WAWRINKA: As I say, as of right now I'm more disappointed to lose because I had the feeling that in the game I'm there. I'm playing well. Yeah, I have everything to win the match tonight, but I didn't. That's the reality. So I will see tomorrow when I wake up, when I'm going to leave. The next few days for sure. I'm happy with the way I start the season, the way I'm focused on the practice court every day, and trying to improve my game. I think I'm playing better than last year. The most important is I need to do everything possible to keep that level all the season and not only few tournaments.

Q. Were you surprised by his level? He didn't play that well either.
STAN WAWRINKA: Yes and no. I think we play so many times, it depends a little bit the way I'm playing also, how I play on the court. And today wasn't our best match, that's for sure. But was just a strange match, strange semifinal, and that's it. At the end he won, so I think he played enough to win the match. That's what he did good.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the difference of playing day and night. What was the change for you?
STAN WAWRINKA: It's a little bit slower but it's flying a little bit more. The ball are staying lower on the court. During the day you can put more topspin. You can mix more with the serve and everything. But, again, I played so many times night session here in the past. It's something that today I had to adapt a little bit at the beginning, but also because I was playing Novak I need to change a little bit my game. And that's it. It's always a great atmosphere I think. I was happy to be on the court to play semifinal again in a Grand Slam. For me it's something amazing. Even if was a strange match, I enjoyed to be there for more than three hours.

Q. You had a couple of big tiebreaks in this tournament. The first two points in this one, I don't know if you remember them.
STAN WAWRINKA: I remember my backhand.

Q. Do you think it was a crucial moment for you?
STAN WAWRINKA: In a five-set match, there are some crucial moments, for sure. It could have been crucial. But at the end of the day I lost that tiebreak. I was down very quickly. At the 4-3 break, I lost my serve Love-40. Again, I had the chance to break in the third. I had a chance to break in the fifth. I didn't. That's the reality.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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