I have to keep working hard off the court, says Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka believes there are a lot of positives from his Rotterdam Open campaign. The Swiss only lost to Gael Monfils in the final and in the press conference he said: “We know each other really well, as we’ve practised a lot in the off-season and before [the recent tournament in] Sofia. It was a tough final and Gael played really well. He did what he had to do at the right moments. I was struggling with my footwork at times to be more aggressive on my groundstrokes. That’s what made the difference. It’s great to have been back in the final, but also how I played to get there. I played a good match and good level today, but it’s great to see the level is there across a full week. I have to keep doing what I’ve been doing over the past few months: working hard off the court, playing matches and building my confidence.”
Wawrinka was extremely pleased with his three-set win over Kei Nishikori. The Swiss player reached the Rotterdam Open final, which will mark his first appearance in a championship clash since the 2017 French Open loss to Rafael Nadal. "This is a big relief for me. It’s my first final since the [knee] surgery, so to show I can still play at this level against the top players is very important for me," said Wawrinka. “When you come back from a surgery like that, you need to be patient with yourself. You look to start to win matches and gain confidence. I think my level is there physically and tennis-wise. If I stay focused and do the right things, I think I’m going to get back to a good place.”
Following his Rotterdam run, Wawrinka climbed 27 places in the ATP singles ranking, to make a return to the top-50. He is now ranked 41st in the world.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2T5jBCn
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