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U.S. OPEN

September 9, 2016

Stan Wawrinka

New York, NY, USA

S. WAWRINKA/K. Nishikori

4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First US Open final against an opponent you have had some epic battles with. How excited are you?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, I'm really excited. Really happy to make the final. Something amazing for me.

To play Novak, the No. 1 player, it's always really challenging. But we had some many big memories together, especially in Grand Slams, so it's going to be an excited match.

Q. You have the beautiful words of Samuel Beckett inscribed on your left forearm. That seems to match your philosophy and inspire you. Now that you're one match away from being one Wimbledon away from a career Grand Slam...
STAN WAWRINKA: I am too far though. Why we should...

Q. Perhaps the poet Kipling's words, If you can meet with triumph as well as disaster; and treat those two imposters are just the same...
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, it's good, but you're going too far with if I win and if I play Wimbledon well one time. No, so far I'm just really happy. I'm enjoying the moment right now after a tough match today. It's something very special.

The feeling is amazing for me to tell myself that I'm going to play a US Open final. I watched it almost every year, so it's going to be excited.

Q. When Novak was here before he said that you play your best tennis in the biggest of matches. How are you able to do that?
STAN WAWRINKA: Because the biggest matches, it's the end of the tournament. Final, semifinal, and I had matches to get confidence to play well match after match.

Yes, I know I have some up and down during the year. I'm not playing my best tennis in every tournament, but I'm trying to work as hard as I can to give me the chance to play well every time I step on the court.

And in Grand Slam is where I want to play my best tennis. Is where I want to be the better player. Always find a way to find my game and to put everything together.

Q. When you've won majors you've had to go through Novak. What has been the secret to how well you've done against him in those situations?
STAN WAWRINKA: Was some amazing match, for sure. The secret is simple: I have to play my best tennis, my best game. He's the No. 1 player, amazing fighter, amazing player, but I have enough confidence in myself that when I play my best level I can beat him.

Hopefully I can bring that Sunday. But it's the biggest challenge. When you play Novak, the No. 1 player in the final of Grand Slam, it's the biggest challenge you can have.

Q. About today's match, from beginning until beginning of second set Kei seemed dominating, and then you made everything a turnaround. How did you make it? Could you talk about your backhand? How much are you confident and comfortable with your backhand?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, I think Kei start really well the match. I think he was moving really well. He was playing really aggressive. I didn't find any solution to put my game. He was always dictating. I was feeling uncomfortable on the court. He was coming at the net. He was changing a lot.

I just tried to little by little play a little bit better, a little bit faster, a little bit heavier. I tried to make him run. I think in the middle of the second, that's when I start to change a little bit who's the player on the court. He was already inside the court at the beginning, but I turned that little by little.

I saw in the first set that he could also struggle with the heat and humidity today. It was a tough battle physically, and I know if I'm make him tired he's not going to be as fast or aggressive as he was at the beginning. That was my goal, to play a little bit more aggressive.

Q. You mentioned humidity. We saw the racquet come right out of your hands at one point. Wet, was it, out there?
STAN WAWRINKA: It was really wet. It was tough conditions. I think the four players today, we suffer a lot on the court, that's for sure.

I was struggling. I was suffering on the court first set, second set, and all the match.

But I just knew that it was important not to show it, to stay there, because I also know that in a five-set match there is some up and down. It's important to not spend energy by being negative and show the opponent that you're struggling.

I think today it make a big difference for myself.

Q. Novak lost one final in the last couple years, and that was to you. Will you think about it before the match?
STAN WAWRINKA: Not the match, but the victory. I think for sure he's gonna give me confidence to tell myself that I know I can do it, because I did it at the French Open final. He knows also that I can play my best tennis in the final of Grand Slam.

But it's gonna be completely different match. Also the way I arrive in the final, the way I arrive, hopefully we can both play great tennis and make a big final.

Q. You were already 28 years old when you lost 12-10 the Australian Open to Djokovic. Is that the moment when you realized that you were competitive with the top players? Are you surprised that you were the only one who won outside of the Fab Four two slams already, and you could win three?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, for sure that match was something special in my career, especially in the month outside. That's when I start to believe and realize myself that, yeah, maybe I can beat top player in Grand Slam.

It took me little time, and step by step, I did it step by step by coming back into the top 10, by making first quarter, French, first semifinal.

But for sure this match was important for my career. Then if I'm surprised, yes and no. I'm surprised for sure with what I did winning two Grand Slam. For me it's... (Discussion about Evian bottle of water.)

Yeah, I'm surprised what I have achieved, for sure, by winning two Grand Slam and being in final again. If I'm surprised? I'm not really surprised to see that the big four have won everything, because it's been more than ten years.

So if you take out two years it's still eight years. So during eight years I was looking at them, semifinal, final, every year. So I'm not surprised, because they just -- they have been in different level than every other player.

Q. After the match against Del Potro you mentioned that you were a bit tight in your adductor. How was that tonight? Because, if I'm right, I think you have been on the court double the time in this tournament.
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, no, I feel good. I feel good. I was quite tired after Del Potro match. I had some, yeah, normal -- I was tired the next day, but I didn't practice. I did just some fitness. I did what I do when I spend too much time on the court. That mean no tennis and just focus on recovery.

But today I was feeling good. I had no pain so far. I'm quite happy with my body where I am, and we will see now in two days. It's always gonna come later. Hopefully I'm going to be fresh enough with Novak who didn't have too much time on the court.

Q. You played twice as long as Novak, but today he was compromised by the weather situation; physically was troubled by it. Do you think that stamina will have anything to do with Sunday's final?
STAN WAWRINKA: Let's see. I think the fact he didn't spend too much time on the court compared to myself, I don't think it's gonna change much for what I'm going to do and who I'm going to be.

Was struggling with some injury problem before the tournament, so it helped him to be a little bit better. Also didn't give him in so much time on the court, match time. You can practice as much as you want. Match is not the same.

And we saw today, it was interesting match to see, but Novak is a strong guy. He's mentally a beast. Is not easy to play him. I'm sure he's gonna bring him best tennis for the final.

Q. In recent years you and Djokovic are the most exciting matchup in tennis. Why do you think is it? Styles of play match or do your personalities match?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, I think a little bit of the style of how we play. I think the matchup always been interesting to see because the way we are playing. I'm trying to be aggressive. I can play really hard.

He is amazing defender. And also, where we start. We started with five-set match in Australia a few years ago, 10-8. I was maybe one of the only player who start dominate in two sets and didn't finish it. I was dominating the match.

And then if you look, then I played my first semifinal in Grand Slam against him here and again five sets. So for sure the fact that we play some long match and some crazy battle puts something different.

Q. Your matchup is not only a particular matchup, but matchup for life. He made you better and you make him better. (Indiscernible.)
STAN WAWRINKA: I'm not sure if I made him better. I think he only lost against me in French Open. I think he's so good that he always find a way to be better. For sure he made me better. That's for sure.

Him, because that's the player I played that well in crazy match in the Grand Slam the first time. And not only him, but the big four, for sure. They made me better. The fact that I tried practice always with them, tried to see what they are doing.

My goal is to push myself until the limit where I can go to be the better player I want. I can. With them, every time I step on the court, even if they are way better in their career, I always have something I need to tell myself. Maybe I can beat them. You need to find a way. If you lose, it's okay. You go back to practice.

That's what happened with them. I saw so many players not even thinking they can beat them when they step on the court. I always try to believe in something, that maybe one day I can beat them, and that's what happen in the past few years.

Q. When you play in a big match at a Grand Slam like today or Sunday against Novak, how important is it for you to be able to rely on your backhand?
STAN WAWRINKA: I don't see that way. I feel it when I step on the court, how I feel, how I'm going to play, is my backhand going to be there.

But for sure when I play my best tennis my backhand is there, because that's where I put a lot on my game, on it. But it can happen that sometimes at the beginning of the match my backhand is not there and I need to find other solution.

So I don't expect my backhand to be at the top since -- from the beginning.

Q. You won ten finals in a row.
STAN WAWRINKA: That's good.

Q. What that means? Is that you're so confident? And also, you're so concentrated that every time you play an important match, not just because you put your finger in your head, that you're concentrated. You do well. Is that the reason, or... Coincidence? Confidence?
STAN WAWRINKA: I won 10 in a row the last two years, and before that I lost many.

So I think it's part of my career, the way I became a better player. I start to believe better in myself and take more confidence.

Again, as I say, normally when I arrive in the final, I'm full of confidence with myself and what I do during one week or two weeks in that tournament. I know that I can play my best tennis.

Again, I can lose Sunday. It's still gonna be good to be ten and lose the eleventh one. But in general I know when I arrive in final I'm ready to play my best tennis, and that's what I'm looking for. That's what I'm trying to do.

But, again, now, when you play Novak, even playing your best tennis you can also lose. So it's gonna be, I hope, a big match, and hopefully I can keep winning.

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