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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 13, 2018

Stan Wawrinka

Cincinnati, Ohio

S. WAWRINKA/D. Schwartzman

6-2, 4-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. (Question about one-handed backhand versus two-handed backhand.) What do you think is kind of the future for a one-handed backhand?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, I don't know. I think it's always been the talk about if it's gonna have more one hand or two hand. I think there will always be someone in backhand you can see, as you say, with Denis, Stefanos. I think it's always nice to have some one-hand backhand, and I enjoy to watch, like Stefanos last week. I think he has a great one. It's fun to watch him play.

Q. Why do you think people enjoy that so much, like the action of it? What appeals to you about it?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, I think it's more about the look, the way it's been play, the way it look like when we play one-hand backhand. It's more about that.

Q. How important is it for you to get these kind of matches? What does it tell you about where you're at at the moment?
STAN WAWRINKA: Well, that's those kind of match that I'm looking for. It's important for my confidence. It's important for my game. I think to beat a player like Diego, it's not only important for confidence but it show that I'm playing well, I'm moving well. He's in the top 20 in the world, so it's a big win already.

Q. You have had a lot going on with your comeback and everything. I'm curious if you've followed the Davis Cup conversation at all. It's just, the vote, is in a couple of days now.
STAN WAWRINKA: I follow without really following. For sure I know that it's in few days. They have to vote. I think there is so many stories, so many things about politics. You don't really know. Everybody's trying to get what they want, what they need at the end of the day.

For sure, Davis Cup needs a change. Is it gonna be the right change or not? We don't know. We need to see.

So I'm just looking to see what's gonna happen, when something gonna happen how it's gonna be, and then we can see. But so far it's been only about politic. That's what they are doing for the vote. So for the players I'm just looking and seeing.

Q. Do you have a result you're hoping for?
STAN WAWRINKA: No (smiling).

Q. You're on your way back. You did not beat Rafa but you played exceptionally well. Next match was this one. Do you feel that match against Rafa was a very good barometer for where you are on your way back?
STAN WAWRINKA: I think was a great match for me to see that, that I find a way to little by little put my game into matches. I had two really tough win last week, first match against Kyrgios and against Fucsovics. Was big battle, tough match.

But little by little it's coming back, coming back together. I still know I expect some up-and-downs the next few weeks, months, because I still know that not everything is back, but most important is to keep working on, keep doing the right thing, keep pushing in matches, keep winning match like today.

Little by little I'm gaining my confidence. I'm finding a way how to play my best tennis. I'm going to put my fitness back. I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm really positive with where I am right now.

Q. You appeared to be moving very well tonight, and with the comeback, you have had some great results recently. How much of it at this point is also psychological, feeling like you can trust your body and you don't have to think about it?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, I do trust my body. Now I need to trust my mind, also. I need to get used to those match, tough match, get used to those moments where you need to not think too much about what's happening but just play your game.

My body is, where it is right now, is I think really strong, really good, but still some up-and-downs. Still there is a lot of things that I don't know how it will react when I'm going to play a five-set match, when I'm going to win hopefully a five-set match back to back, things like that, if I start to win more matches. For sure I need to get used again to push my body to the limit, winning match after match and keep playing, keep moving my best.

Today I was really positive, because I was feeling a little bit tired. I was feeling a little bit heavy legs, but I still find a way to win. I still find a way to move better. And I know that by pushing myself I will get where I want to be.

Q. I guess with where your ranking is at the moment, draws are a factor. Diego and Kei here. How is that for you being in that position? And are you kind of paying more attention to draws now compared to the past few years in the top 5?
STAN WAWRINKA: No, I think I care a bit less now about the draw than when I was at the top. The draw, what it is, you know, I'm already grateful and happy to have a wildcard, to be in the main draw. I know that there will be some tough draws, some tough match, but at the end of the day, what's important for me, it's what I'm doing the next few months until the end of the season.

I want to get back to a good ranking, if possible, but most important, to be 100% at the end of the year, to have a good offseason and to be ready for next year, to hopefully play some big tournaments.

But about draw, you know, at the end of the day I know I can beat the top players. I'm still looking to do it once, twice, few times in a row. I'm just trying to see where I am right now. So I'm focusing more on what I'm doing, the way I'm practicing, the way I'm getting ready for match, the way I'm playing matches. The results are not the most important.

Q. Andy was talking earlier about the unknown of playing best of five for him. He hasn't played a Grand Slam in a while. You had different injuries. You played Wimbledon. But going into the US Open, is there still sort of a different level of intensity or unknown about how you'll hold up physically with varying match lengths?
STAN WAWRINKA: I feel more confident about the US Open than what it was for Wimbledon or even was to French Open when I knew I wasn't really physically ready. Now I feel that every week I'm working, still playing tournaments, I'm start to win tournaments, tough tournament.

Last week I played, for the first time, back-to-back-to-back match playing three sets, and I was still feeling good the day after playing Rafa. For me, it was really positive. I see that physically I'm there. But it's also mentally that affects your fitness. When you get nervous, when you get tight, you take more in your body and you feel more tired, you feel more tight, you have more tension.

When you start to be a little bit more relaxed, more confidence with your game, suddenly the fitness follow. So you are different player and you recover better and things like that. So that's why it's important for me. Was important last week to win matches, to keep doing it now, to get more confidence in my game, and that's the way I'm going to handle the US Open.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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