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NATURE VALLEY CLASSIC

June 18, 2018

Stan Wawrinka

Birmingham, England

S. WAWRINKA/C. Norrie

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You looked comfortable out there today. How do you feel?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, generally a good match. I felt quite good. It was a bit windy, but I have been happy with the practice.

I arrive early Wednesday here. I was practicing a lot last few days, and I was really happy the way I was playing on the grass, the way I was playing points, the way I was moving. For me it's a great start and I'm happy to play another match.

Q. You had a bit more time to adjust to the conditions. Do you think an early exit from Paris was a good thing for you in terms of getting better preparation on grass?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, it's never a good thing, but after Paris I did, again, two weeks of fitness at home with some tennis but especially more fitness to get stronger and stronger.

I arrive here, was feeling good physically, so it was good to get a lot of tennis on the court.

As I say, practice is going well. Every day it's getting better, and in general I'm happy with my level, with the way I'm doing on the court.

Q. Does the knee feel perfectly okay now?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, knee feels good. The knee feels good, for sure. I can see it, like, week after week always something better and better. But like now, all the practice it's been great. I was able to move well. Was able to play my tennis, my game.

Q. Did you ever think about it on the court, about your knee?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, for sure sometimes, because sometimes there is always some little stuff that stay here and keep it. But as long as I can practice full, as long as I can put the hours on the court, as long as I can move well and put the work, it's positive.

Q. Novak talked a lot yesterday about how difficult or how he underestimated how difficult it was mentally to get back into the highest level of tennis after being away so long and worrying about his injury. Have you encountered that same sort of problem with confidence?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, I know when I got the surgery that it will be really long and really tough, not only physically but especially mentally. I said many times, you know, for the first month Â for me, first you have to separate every injury, because we don't have to deal with the same problem and the same things physically or mentally. So we are all different in the way to come back. That's the first thing you have to look.

And for me it was really tough, because I had to start from zero physically. When I say it's tough, it's not only about the physical aspect, because we are used to practice, we are used to do the hard work. We are used to put a lot of time in the gym and on the fitness and the tennis court.

But mentally, it's tough when you see how far you are and how long it will take. Still now, it's not easy mentally. I need to be really patient with myself, to accept less in a way, because when you win Grand Slam and especially me, I always expect so much from myself and always push myself to the maximum and never really happy with what I'm doing, so when you be out on the tour so long, you need to a little bit put your expectation a little bit lower and accept that, because it takes time. It takes time to get where you want to be, and not because you're doing the wrong thing but just because it is how it is when you have big surgery.

So I think I'm getting better now, because I also see that my level is getting better. I improved a lot physically and I am getting closer at least in the practice court. But I know that the next few months will not be that easy, neither. So I just need to take every match, every win as something really positive and keep doing the right job every day to give myself chance to come back quickly to the top level.

Q. Do you feel you're a different person since you have had the time off the tour? Do you feel you've developed as a person individually?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, for sure you are not Â not only because of the surgery, but for sure as a person you develop yourself. Doesn't matter if you're out on the tour, if you're still on the tour, doesn't matter what you do, you try to improve and see what's the best for yourself.

Q. Does that mean that when you win a match like today maybe it's more pleasurable because of the time that you have been away and maybe the doubts you have had in the meantime?
STAN WAWRINKA: Right now, yes, for sure, because I didn't win many matches in a year, and I didn't play many matches in a year. Especially today I feel that I'm playing well, I'm moving well.

So I feel really myself as a tennis player. So for sure I enjoy way more than in the past. But it's normal also because I have been out for so long.

So that's when I also need to accept that not every practice is as good as before but still take a lot of positive from it and be, like, okay there was a good day, I did my best, and let's see tomorrow what's going to happen.

Q. What area do you think you have improved the most since January?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, for sure in January I was not ready physically with my knee. I was just trying to handle the courts, trying to win matches.

Now I think my game is there. I think in the practice court I'm playing really strong tennis. I feel positive with myself. I just need to see what's going to happen in the next few weeks on grass.

Q. In terms of the comeback story, as we have been talking about with Novak and today with you also, obviously we are looking at Andy tomorrow, British reporters are excited to have him back after a year. Have you seen him or do you have any kind of comment on him being back?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, I just saw him yesterday or before yesterday on the practice court quickly. I'm happy for him that he's coming back on the tour, because also he had some big problem and tough problem for a year almost.

So it's never easy, especially a player like him, to not see him on the court. You're not used to it.

Hopefully he's fit and ready for it and he can start well and build something for the next few months.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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