	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROLAND GARROS

May 24, 2015

Stan Wawrinka

PARIS, FRANCE

S. WAWRINKA/M. Ilhan
6-3, 6-2, 6-3
An interview with:
STAN WAWRINKA

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Is that as good a start as you would have hoped for in a slam?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, it was a great start, good match, feeling the ball well. I had only one hour of practice here in Paris, so I'm really happy to play that way already. My game is there. I'm feeling great on the clay since few weeks now. Got the confidence back and playing well. So I'm happy to get through in three sets.

Q. For a story about players with a single-handed backhand, I would like to know from you what's the main advantage compared to double-handed backhands. Are you concerned that the number of players with a single-handed backhands is decreasing? And if you had to advise your daughter to play with, single-handed or double-handed?
STAN WAWRINKA: Maybe the advantage is for the younger, what you can find, also for the slice, generally the guy with a one-handed backhand has better slice than two-handed backhand. If not, for sure with the tennis, the speed of the tennis right now to return, to block, it's always more easy with two-hand backhand. It's not easy, but I still think you have some great one-hand backhand on the tour, and you will always have some players with one-hand backhand on the top.

Q. There was an article that appeared on the official website here that you're probably aware of last night. It seemed to go over the line a bit about your private life. I'm just wondering if you had a reaction to that.
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah. Completely stupid article. It's official website of a Grand Slam, so I hope the guy who did that article is not a journalist. I also hope the guy who is supposed to check all the article on the website is not working anymore for the tournament. Because for me, for a Grand Slam website, it should be an article about the tennis and that's it.

Q. Was it any distraction to you today not to be able to worry about it?
STAN WAWRINKA: I saw the article last night. I told the tournament that I wasn't really happy about it, and I don't think it was great for the tournament to do that shit article. That's it. But after that, you know, I'm here to play tennis and to focus on my game. I can put that on the side, and that's it.

Q. Did you hear about the fan on the court for Roger? What do you think about the security here and do you worry about things like that happening?
STAN WAWRINKA: I don't know what's happen.

Q. Someone came out on the court...
STAN WAWRINKA: I didn't see that yet. So I cannot say anything. I am going to check the video later, but didn't see.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. There are lots of players who are over 30. So when you started your career, did you think that you would still play at 30 years of age? What is really the hardest part of it today when you are 30 compared to what it was when you started playing tennis?
STAN WAWRINKA: Ten years ago when I arrived on tour, the situation was different. Most of the players ended their career when they were 30 years of age, but things have changed totally, so players can play for a longer time. Young players can reach the top at a later stage, which is totally different with the generation of Andy, Rafa, and Novak. So it's true that tennis has changed quite a lot.

Q. (Off microphone.)
STAN WAWRINKA: So in the past, we thought that players, when they reach 30, their career was over, but it's totally different. I would say that I'm at the top of my career even though I'm 30 years of age.

Q. You have been very discreet about your private life. Are you surprised by the newspaper articles about you?
STAN WAWRINKA: There are things going on in my private life, but in Switzerland they haven't talked about it much. No specific problem about my private life in Switzerland. They didn't go too far there. Of course, when you read an article on the official site of a tournament, I mean, you can have some questions about the journalist and who checked the article. For me it's a very bad article, and I hope that it won't the case in the future and the person who has written this article, I hope this person is not a journalist.

Q. One year ago you were knocked out in the first round here at the French Open, so did you have this in mind today? Can you tell me if it's far easier this year? You have less pressure compared to last year? Because last year you won Monte-Carlo.
STAN WAWRINKA: Pressure is always there. You have to put a little bit of pressure upon your shoulders in order to perform well. So I draw the lessons from my elimination last year, so I handled the match differently. It's a new year, it's a new tournament, it's a new season, it's a new French Open, my schedule was different. I did get off to a good start, so I won two tournaments, semifinal in Rome and semifinal in the Australian Open, and I played in Geneva last week, so I arrived here three or four days ago. I was not able to see the buildup here to Roland Garros, because when you arrive here days before, I mean, you can feel the pressure, but I arrived a little bit belatedly, so it was better for me.

Q. So why did you change your schedule? Did you want to draw the lessons from last year?
STAN WAWRINKA: In fact, there is a new tournament in Geneva. That's why I changed my schedule. But it was quite positive for me. So it might not be ideal to play the week before Roland Garros, but I will take stock of the situation at the end of Roland Garros, especially when it comes to checking out my schedule.

Q. You mentioned the positives, but you only practiced one hour. So it could have been very tricky arriving later here. What did you like with your performance today?
STAN WAWRINKA: Unfortunately, in Geneva I was knocked out early in the tournament, so mentally I was rather fresh, had the opportunity to play. But I lost earlier in Geneva, so it means that I'm fresh playing here, but over the past few weeks I have built up my confidence. I play tennis very well. So one hour of practice was quite enough for me. I didn't expect to play today, on Sunday, but when I had a look at the schedule, I knew that it could be positive. Of course, you never know whether you're gonna lose or win the match, but I have won the match today. I have a match under my belt. I feel great. I will have two days off in order to get rest and in order to practice.

Q. In Geneva, regarding your game, any positives or were you frustrated when you left Geneva?
STAN WAWRINKA: Regarding my level of play, it was a good week. I was disappointed, because I lost the match, but on the whole, I played well. I hit the ball well. I trained very well. I produced a good performance. But my opponent was better, and I lost the match. That's all.

Q. An ancillary question, a journalist in Luxembourg, working with Gilles Muller. What do you think of Gilles Muller, the guy from Luxembourg? What do you know of his personality, if you know him?
STAN WAWRINKA: I don't know him very well. I played him twice this year. So I know his game, a very good player, dangerous player. He's tall. He has a big serve. He's a lefty. He can be very dangerous for any opponent. It is a player that when I played him, these were tough matches, but, you know what to expect when you play Gilles Muller, so you know it's going to be a tough match and you have to fight. No doubt he has a big potential.

Q. (Off microphone.)
STAN WAWRINKA: Clay courts are quite fast and big servers have said that they don't like clay, but they can obtain good results on clay now.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297