Stan Wawrinka shares how beating Novak Djokovic helped him mentally
Stan Wawrinka made a breakthrough in the tennis elite in 2014 and has gone on to win three Majors. The Swiss player said: "I used to lose a few matches by not being strong enough with myself and when, in the Australian Open, 2014 I beat Novak Djokovic, I knew I was stronger mentally on the court and it was something that I did not decide to do before. It just came out in certain matches when I felt like I was being strong."
The 33-year-old also commented on his childhood idols: "When I grew up I was a fan of a few players. Pete Sampras was one of my idols when I was practicing when I was young, I always followed and watched him. I started playing tennis at eight with my brother who was three years older. We started in a tennis club five minutes away from home once a week every Wednesday for one hour in the afternoon."
Wawrinka concluded: "You need to stay focused with yourself, accept to fail sometime, you cannot always win, you need to try again, you need to grow again, that's what I do with myself. I know that everything comes from the hard work, from the practice and you have to know what you want."
In an interview, the six-time Major winner Boris Becker spoke about another Swiss, Roger Federer. The German said: "It's always a challenge at this age for any athlete to eventually stop their sport and do something with the second part of their life. It's always a challenge. I personally think Roger Federer is right to play as long as you can because it's something he loves doing and he is still very good at it but there will be a time when you have to find something else, so I found something else. Many other top athletes have a second career but that doesn't happen overnight, you need a good supporting team, you need advisors, you need a good family to give yourself time and then the possibilities will arise."
Wawrinka is playing the Monte Carlo Masters this week.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2UE3Rry
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