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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2020

Stan Wawrinka

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

S. WAWRINKA/D. Medvedev

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

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you tell us, when do you think you played so well after your surgery, problem?
STAN WAWRINKA: No, I think last time I play so well was before the surgery. I think for sure, I feel since the off-season my level is really high. Physically I'm moving better than last year. So I'm improving.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure last time I played that well was before the surgery.

Q. Were you surprised about it?
STAN WAWRINKA: No, because as I say, I have been practicing really hard. I've been feeling great on the court, on the practice court, good session, putting a lot of work physically and tennis-wise. The week before here, I was really feeling at the top level.

Q. You lost to him twice before. Did you feel like an underdog in the match even though you're the guy with three Grand Slams?
STAN WAWRINKA: A little bit, yes, for sure. The way he's been playing since a year now, his ranking and everything, full confidence. He's playing so well.

But, like, when I enter the court, I enter to win. I know I have what it takes to do it. I knew it will be a really tough battle because he's a strong player, he's really tough to manipulate, to make him move and make him miss.

Yeah, I think first two sets were really similar, but different side of the net. I think I start really well, staying on my line, being super aggressive. Even when it's right to be aggressive, I was staying with him, serve really well. He was a little bit hesitating.

The second set was the opposite. After I lost a little bit my confidence in my forehand, he had the confidence to really go for it. I had to really fight with myself to go a little bit against my game, trying to keep pushing him, trying to keep trying to go to the net. I was losing a lot of points. I knew that was the key: try to be aggressive.

I'm really happy again the way I'm fighting, the way I'm finding solution and the level of the game.

Q. Thoughts on your next possible opponents: Zverev or Rublev? Two tall, skinny guys.
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, it's going to be interesting to watch the match first and see. Rublev of course won back-to-back titles. He's full confidence, playing so well. I lost to him last year.

Zverev, he's been in the top 10, top 5 since few years now. I also lost to him a few times.

It's going to be a difficult match, for sure. I'm going to watch who's going to win and then get ready for it.

Q. Even if your compatriot is 38 years and a half, you're not a kid anymore. Are you worried being 34 years old you still have all this energy, adrenaline, will to win? Maybe it's the surgery that helped you to do your best.
STAN WAWRINKA: No, I enjoy it. I think I always been like that. Always try to enjoy the maximum what I'm doing. I still believe it's a big chance to play tennis. It's my passion. It's something that I love to do.

I'm playing, traveling around the world, playing in front of people, getting a lot of emotion from it. I love the process, also the way how you have to try to improve, the time you need to put in the practice court to get to your level. There is many thing I really enjoy it.

I know I still have only, I don't know how many, but not many years left. I want to do the maximum with it. I want to enjoy the maximum.

Q. Plus the money?
STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, it's part, for sure. It's there. But it's not the reason why I keep playing. That's for sure. If you play only for the money, I don't need. That's not why I keep playing.

Q. One of your signature gestures is to point your finger at your head. Do you work on your mental aspects of your game? How do you feel in your head apart from your body?
STAN WAWRINKA: I feel good. I know I'm in the right place. Winning or losing, that's not what's show if you feeling good mentally.

Yeah, of course, you work on it, you work to accept to suffer, you work to accept to push yourself always. There's many, many things that you can do to improve your mindset.

I know that since the end of last year after the off-season, I took few days off for myself, thinking a little bit more about what I wanted for next year, the way I want it. Those moments you need always to be honest with yourself. You cannot hide. You cannot lie to yourself.

Then when you know what you want, you have to put the work on it. That's what I'm doing. Hopefully I can keep doing it the full year.

Q. ATP is going to introduce the video review technology at some clay court tournaments. How do you think that would work?
STAN WAWRINKA: I don't care. At the end of the day, if you have this, then you cannot argue with the umpire. It's clean, it's clear. Doesn't matter if you see the mark or not, it's totally the opposite. Simple. Let's see how it work out.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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