Stan Wawrinka defeated Andy Murray 6/1 in the fifth set to reach his second Roland
Garros final after the one won in 2015 against Djokovic. It required a lot of
energy to Wawrinka after losing the third set. 'For sure wasn't easy to be 2 sets to 1 down', Stan said in press conference.
'When you
play a player like Andy Murray, you know that you can dominate the games, but
he's still going to be there. He's still going to do incredible defense, play
the right tennis in the right moment. That's why he's No.
1 in the world. So when
you enter in a Grand Slam against him, you have to accept that. You need to
keep trying to focus on what you do, keep trying. I was trying to focus on my
game. I knew I had some good chance in the first set, in the third set also,
but that's what I took positively.
Even if I was 2 sets to
1 down, I knew I had some chance to keep pushing him and that's what I did. I'm
really happy to find a way how to win the match. It was mentally a tough battle
today, especially in five sets against Andy.
It was a little bit
windy, so it's not easy to always play your best tennis. But I'm happy with
what I did on the court, the way I was fighting, even if I was down. The way I
was trying to keep my line, trying to keep being aggressive, keep going even if
I lost a lot of points by some incredible defense from him.
But you know what's
happening when you play in semi. You have to accept it. You just need to keep fighting and keep going for it.' You mixed aggression with the ball with
incredible dropshots. Some points you went to the net, came back, amazing
match.
'For sure was amazing
match I felt on the court. I enjoy to play this match. For sure when you win
it's better after. But we had some crazy points with some good rallies, with
some good level of tennis. And to play a semifinal here, French Open against
Andy, No.
1 in the world, that's
something really special, so for sure I enjoy it.' You
have played three brilliant matches in your three Grand Slam finals so far. Can
you give us an idea how you managed to play so well when it really matters? 'Was completely three different finals.
The first one I was completely happy, and I was completely relaxed before the final, even when I entered the court. The only time I got stressed, that's when I saw that I could win the Grand Slam. The two others I was completely stressed, nervous, break down before the final.
I was thinking that it
might be my last final of Grand Slam to get the title. So I was really tough
with my team and with myself before the final. But again, most important is
when you enter the courts to focus on what you do, what you did in the practice
court, what you did during the two weeks, and try to just focus on the game
point by point.
And that's the only way
you can win a Grand Slam final.' About
his final against Rafael Nadal, Wawrinka said: 'I think to play Rafa on clay in French Open in a final
is probably the biggest challenge you can have in tennis.
He's the best player
ever on clay. As you say, he's going for his 10th Roland Garros, so it's
something really impressive, something tough. It's for sure gonna be really
difficult. But again, in the end of the day, it's the final.
The pressure is on both
players. No one go on the court thinking he has no pressure. We both want to
win the title, and we both gonna give it all on the court. He's for sure gonna
be the favorite with what he's done in the past, but also this season already
he's playing so well.
So I will have for sure
to play my best tennis. But again, I did in the past, so we will see what's
gonna happen on Sunday.' The fact you won three Grand Slam
finals, does that change anything for Sunday? 'Yes it gives me the confidence I need.
It shows me that I can
play my best tennis when I play a match like that. I have done it three times.
I know what it takes to win a Grand Slam tournament. I have done it before. But
every final is a new one. We will see on Sunday.' How do you feel physically? You had some
small problems during the previous match.
How is it today? 'I was surprised. I felt really well. Things went very
well, very smoothly. But again, I think that when you're more confident, you
sort of let go. You're less tense. I was a bit tense at the beginning, and even
in the middle of the tournament.
Now that things are
going well, I feel more relaxed, and that helps me, feel good in my body. I was
really moving very well throughout today's match. I was able to play faster. It
was a long match, four-and-a-half hours, I believe.
So
I believe I'm going to have to feel a bit sore. I just did
some cryotherapy, but I will see later how
my body feels.' ​​​​​â€
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