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ROLAND GARROS

June 5, 2017

Stan Wawrinka

Paris, France

S. WAWRINKA/G. Monfils

7-5, 7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. The first two sets were very close. Did you feel like you just played the big points a bit better than GaÃ«l?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, it was really close two sets. I think was a tough match, tough conditions, quite windy, a lot of tension, because we know each other so well. So was important to stay there, to stay strong with myself, and I'm happy to get through this match.

Q. There was a lot of support for GaÃ«l on the court, as well. A big-match atmosphere. Was it important for you just to concentrate on your game and your tennis and try and block that out a bit?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, I was expecting for him to have a lot of support. They love GaÃ«l here. He's playing at home, so it's normal.

I was also quite surprised, was really good crowd today. I think they were really fair on the court. I think the atmosphere was great to play, so I'm happy with everything.

Q. Marin next. Talk a little bit about that.
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, a tough player. I think he's playing really well here at the French Open, winning quite easy to get into the quarters. He's playing really aggressive. He won a tournament on clay already this year.

We had some good battle in the past. Last one was in London last year, end of year. It was a tough match to play. I think it's going to be important for me to get ready for a big match. He's serving well. I will really need to find solution on the return and try to dictate the game from the baseline.

Q. Andy and Novak talked a little bit about sports being in a position to be a healer for, like, events like what happened in London and things like that. Do you see that global aspect, being a sports star?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, of course it's really sad what's happening in the world recently. If people can enjoy to come to the sport, it's tough to do, to do something about that. I think it's important to stay positive and try to find any solution to help some people.

Q. During when you called the medical timeout, which were your problem? After that, your physical condition okay or not?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, I blocked my low back at the beginning of the match after one game for different reason. I think the more the match was going, it was a going a little bit down. So I just wanted to fix it, to make sure it cannot get worse. That's why I call at that moment.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. You seem tired. Was it a tough match?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yes, it was mentally challenging. I think we were both very tense. We know each other very well, and we both knew it would be important to play well. In addition, the conditions were windy, and it was difficult to really relax. When you play in difficult conditions, you can't just say at one point, Okay, now I'm in the match and I'm going to just play.

Today for the first two sets there was a lot of tension, a lot of tension. It was very difficult for me to, you know, play point after point. I think he realized that for him it was going to be really difficult to keep, you know, his high level for five sets.

Q. Do you think Monfils was destabilized when you called for a timeout in the third set?
STAN WAWRINKA: You should ask him. Didn't you ask him?

Q. Well, did you perceive that maybe he was distracted or disturbed?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, after he won 40-Love, so I don't think it was bad for him. I don't think it changed anything.

Q. Generally you have played quite well in the past against Marin. You said he was playing very aggressively. How do you anticipate this match?
STAN WAWRINKA: I have played him several times. Most matches I've played were very aggressive. And I know that generally when I'm playing well, my style is not a style he really appreciates, because I dictate the game from the back of the court. So I think I need to let him be aggressive to then impose my style.

It will be very important for me to stick to his play and make sure that I'm on the court, in the court, and not him.

Q. The problem you mentioned with your back, is that a problem you have had before? Is that something that worries you?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yes. I have experienced this before. I'm not seriously worried. It doesn't keep me from playing, and it doesn't keep me from playing well.

Let's put it this way: It's under control. That's what I would say. My back has always been a bit sensitive. I know I have to be careful about it, but again, it doesn't prevent me from playing very well. So it's not really important.

Q. You said there was a lot of tension for both of you. What caused that tension? Is it because you guys are friends or because it's the French Open?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, it's the French Open. It's a super important match for both. He's playing at home. I mean, this is a Grand Slam tournament, and of course you want to go as far as you can if you are a player. For me it's another Grand Slam where I want to go as far as I can. We know each other very well. We haven't played in a long time. We do train frequently, but we haven't played each other in a long time, so we didn't really know what to expect.

As I said before, there was a lot of wind. The weather conditions were tough, and that causes additional stress. So all this combined explains why there was a lot of tension on both sides of the court.

Q. You won most of the important points. He did not. Why do you think you managed to win the key points in such a tense match?
STAN WAWRINKA: I think there are several reasons. First of all, confidence. My confidence recently came back, and that is very important.

I have played several matches where I did not give up, where I have fought myself. Where I have challenged myself to turn things around and win the match.

In the past I have been very tough with myself. I have been, you know, it hurts, the legs hurt, you have to challenge yourself, you have to push yourself physically, mentally. Sometimes you feel like you're going to give up, but you don't want to give up. And that experience, winning Grand Slam tournaments, winning tough matches, all this combined makes me say that today I'm prepared to accept the pain, accept the tension, and of course use it against my opponent.

Q. I think, did you say in English, you were a bit surprised about the public? Because the public was very supportive of you, as well? Why did that surprise you? Were you expecting anything different?
STAN WAWRINKA: I wasn't surprised the public was good. I was expecting for him to get a lot more support, a lot of noise, you know. In the past when I have played French players here, there was a lot of noise supporting him.

Today the public was very respectful. They supported me. Of course, there were, you know, the majority was for him, but I was expecting to have less support. I had much more support than what I thought.

Q. So regarding the support of the public, would you say that the previous match with Muguruza gave you a bit of tension? And how important is the public's reaction and the noise on the court? How much does it influence your game?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, I heard what happened yesterday. I think when there is a lot of atmosphere, that's certainly one of the reasons why I play tennis. Even when they support, when the public supports my opponent, I like to play on a court when there is a lot of atmosphere. Not necessarily for me. Even if it's for my opponent.

At the end of the day, it creates a lot of atmosphere. When you play on a wonderful court like Chatrier, what you want is the public to be there, to support the players or one player or the other player. And that's really what makes you vibrate.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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