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ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2015

Stan Wawrinka

PARIS, FRANCE

S. WAWRINKA/G. Simon
6-1, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How pleased are you with your performance today and that the rain didn't affect your match and send it to the next day?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, it was perfect. I'm really happy to have won the match. I was expecting a tough match. Never easy to play Gilles, especially in Grand Slams especially when you advance in the tournament. Played really well. Really aggressive. Condition was really slow with the rain and everything, but I did a really good match.

Q. Does it matter at all in the quarterfinals that your opponent will have played over two days? Do you think that will be significant?
STAN WAWRINKA: I don't think so. When it's GaÃ«l or Roger, it doesn't change much. I think they know how to deal with that. You have to see also what's going to happen tomorrow. Maybe it's going to be two easy sets for GaÃ«l or Roger. It can be really short or can be a five-set match really tough. For me, it doesn't change. I know if I have to play GaÃ«l or Roger, it's going to be a tough one. I have to get ready. I'm going to do my routine, come, practice, do my press, and that's it.

Q. When you came out of juniors, obviously you had won here and probably you felt like clay was your best surface and you had lots of good results. Do you still feel the same way at this point in your career?
STAN WAWRINKA: No, for me, since juniors it change. I think maybe I play my best game on the hard court, outdoor, but I know the feeling to come back on clay for me is always easy, is always nice, always natural to change surface. I know as I did last year for the Davis Cup, I can change in two days and feel really good already on the clay, because I grew up on the clay. Until 20-year-olds I think I was playing almost all clay court tournaments, challenger and satellites before. That's the reason I was feeling good on clay at the beginning. When you play on tour you play more tournaments on hard court, so you need to improve on hard court. That's what I did.

Q. Do you think it's harder to improve from a clay court base to becoming a hard court or grass court player, or the other way around?
STAN WAWRINKA: No, I think it's more difficult to improve on clay when you born on hard court. But the only thing is the clay season, it's only two months maximum. You don't have so much tournament. I think that's a big difference.

Q. One more political question since you are on the council. Are there things you'd like to see done in the game to speed up the pace of play? If so, what would they be?
STAN WAWRINKA: Between points, you mean?

Q. Yeah.
STAN WAWRINKA: I think umpire has to be consistent with that.

Q. Toss, catching it, or when you get to the line you have only a certain amount of time to serve or...
STAN WAWRINKA: I don't know. I think the ATP try to change to be more strict with the 25-second rule, but I don't think it's really working well because the umpire don't really -- they are not really consistent with that. But maybe you can put the clock or something like that like in basketball. You can always try. Can be something to try. But it's not easy to find what will be the good thing for the game. Also, you need to know in tennis you cannot push also the player to play, to have only 10 seconds between points, because it can be really tough for the body. Okay, when you play two-sets match you can be okay, but when you play day by day matches, five-set matches, and you keep going with 40 degrees in Australia, can be dangerous also for the body. So it's tough to find something that would be really good for the people, for the crowd, and for the player, as well.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Gilles said that on a surface like this one, which can be quite heavy, he could never manage to put stress on you. He could never manage to make you run and move. Would you agree and say that you were never at risk during the match?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, yes. I felt very good, and quite clearly conditions like today were in my favor. But playing a guy like Gilles who can be very good, that can turn a match around all of a sudden, you need to be very consistent. Mentally you need to be very focused. It's not because you're two breaks ahead that you're going to win it. It's not because you have two sets to love that you're going to win. I have played him so many times in the past. I know what to expect. It's not because I'm leading, because with Gilles you need to have a tactic. You need to have a plan. But you need to be able to adjust because he adapts. I'm very happy with my match.

Q. Do you feel that coming back from far with regards to your game, because we have the Stan that we used to have in the past. What comparison would you make with Monte-Carlo?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, the beginning of this year was incredible. I won Chennai; I won Rotterdam; I played five sets with Djokovic; then I had two difficult months. Then since Madrid I played very well. I lost to Dimitrov, but it was mentally. Because you can't all of a sudden decide to fight at all times and win all matches. It takes a bit of time. But in Rome my tournament was good; my game was good. So I'm not coming back from afar, but after Monaco I started practicing again, working hard, and I know how things go. I know that my game level can be very high, and that when I'm confident, I can beat many tough players when I do the right things every day.

Q. A few words about the crowd and the atmosphere? You laughed when you walked on the court. Were you affected? How do you manage that?
STAN WAWRINKA: No, it was a good atmosphere. Let's put it like this. Then this is what I told Gilles before the toss. I said, Well, the crowd is for you. It made him laugh. But, you know, as a player, when you've experienced the atmosphere we had in Lille for the Davis Cup, all the rest is peanuts, really. It really is peanuts and it really doesn't affect you. Gilles, during the Davis Cup, had called on the crowd for support. I think it's great. The crowd supports their player here in a Grand Slam in Paris. Now, I did my job to make it a short match, not to have too much match for too long.

Q. What do you expect for the match between Roger and GaÃ«l? Do you have any preference?
STAN WAWRINKA: I don't expect anything. I'll be watching this like any tennis fan who were really expecting this match, because we know that these two guys played big matches. Now, do I have a favorite? There are good things and not as good things in all players. Well, for me, Roger, it's always difficult for me to play him and to win. GaÃ«l, I think I have the game to be present on the court. He's been playing five-sets matches and he's had very difficult matches, so that's good for him mentally. So you never know. But I can't choose, so I'll go and watch the match and I'll get ready for my next opponent.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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