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QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPENJanuary 1, 2019Stan WawrinkaDoha, Qatar S. WAWRINKA/K. Khachanov 7-6, 6-4 THE MODERATOR: Okay. Questions in English, please. Q. Great start, Stan. Great game. Vintage stuff. How are you feeling after the two surgeries and the last year and you start the new year with a bang so to say? STAN WAWRINKA: Today was a great match, a great level after more than a year out. I think, as I said before the tournament, I was happy with the off-season I did. I worked long and really hard, hard enough to know that sooner or later it will pay off. I'm feeling good physically. Tennis-wise also. Today is the first match of a year against an in-form player, who won Paris last year, already played three match already this year, so I'm happy with the way I was playing today, so I'm looking forward for tomorrow. Q. French questions, if you don't mind. THE MODERATOR: Only English. Q. You are starting the season with a great win. How does it feel to be back and playing as you did today? You had maybe lots of pressure by the end of the second set. Can you analyze how you leave this match on court? STAN WAWRINKA: I think it was a full match, a good match for sure. I always put pressure on myself but I have been practicing so well, I have been working really hard the last two months to know that my level is there and that if I look at the big picture, the full year, I will get some result if I keep working hard. So today I think was a great start. The level was there. I was feeling good physically on the court and I'm happy with that, that's the most important. Q. Stan, I haven't seen much of you in person before. But you look much leaner and fitter, is that a conscious effort? STAN WAWRINKA: I think I work hard the last two months, not only last two months since my injury, but it was a tough year last year. I finished it earlier. I wasn't where I wanted to be. But I took the time to get there. I took the time to do the right thing, to work hard physically, tennis-wise also. I'm happy the way I'm playing and the way I'm moving and practicing and I know that if I keep pushing in that direction, the year can be good for me. Q. Stan, when you have beaten a player of his ability in your last meeting, does that play on you when you come into a match like this? Do you think about it? Or is it a fresh, a new match? STAN WAWRINKA: It's a new match, a new season for sure. Also, he won a tour title after I beat him in St Petersburg, so he's much confidence. He is playing better. But also he's improved a lot since four months ago from when I played him. It was important to take a few things from that match more in the tactical way and more thinking the way I was going to play, but it's a new match, a new year, so I think you need to be ready for it. Q. Yesterday, Novak was saying that he'd still back the "fab four" and all of you guys who won Grand Slams before in the major events in 2019 as against the NextGen players. Would you agree with that, Stan? Do you think going into this year that... STAN WAWRINKA: For sure. I still put them as a favorite in Grand Slam. If I look between Roger, Rafa, Novak also, who is back number one, winning last two Grand Slams, for sure they will be a big favorite in Australian Open. Q. Do you think you are ready to play three hours with this intensity? STAN WAWRINKA: Sorry? Q. Do you think you are ready to play three hours with this intensity against Khachanov? STAN WAWRINKA: I don't know. I didn't need to. I know that I did the work for it. I will say yes because I think I'm ready to play any Grand Slam also. But, again, I didn't need it and the intensity was great. I think the level was good and I'm happy with that. THE MODERATOR: Anymore questions? Last one. Q. Do you think that you may adjust in your game against your next opponent which is Nicolas Jarry? STAN WAWRINKA: There's a few things I have to say. I know him, I saw him play last year. But I didn't think too much yet about it. And I'm going to probably look at some video tonight because I never played against him. I never practiced with him. So I need to see the way he is playing and what I will have to do, so I'm going to do that later tonight. THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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