'One of my best matches ever' - Wawrinka recalls 2015 win over Djokovic
In an interview to Tages Anzeiger Stan Wawrinka reflected on his relationship with clay and the successes he got on the surface. He won his maiden Masters 1000 title at the 2014 Monte Carlo Masters and his second Grand Slam at the 2015 French Open. "For me, the first clay-court training sessions are always a pleasure. As a kid, I always trained on clay. That's why it all looks so natural. Sliding, for example. I love the clay-court season. I have memories from Monte Carlo, the French Open. That was the tournament I always watched as a kid. It's the only Grand Slam I played in as a junior and I still won. With this win, I started taking my first attention in the world of tennis. Until then, all the winners of the French Open juniors draw had cracked the top 30 rankings. That was meaning something. And 2015 was one of my best successes, the final against Novak Djokovic, one of my best matches ever. I rarely felt such strong emotions. It stays in your head", said Wawrinka.
He also recalled when he reached the 2017 French Open final losing to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. "Actually it was not that such a long time ago, it seems yesterday. I had won Geneva before, I was the world No. 3, at the peak of my career. The surgery completely made me leave the journey. It was very difficult. When you are on tour and you follow your routines, everything happens so fast. After the injury, it seemed like the time was stopped. And it took almost a year and a half to get the same physical shape as before. But now I have got a good feeling again. I could have well retired after the surgery. I already got a lot. But I love the sport too much. The daily pressure, the challenge to push yourself beyond limits, the emotions during the matches, playing in front of a crowd."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2IHjKq9
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