Stan Wawrinka

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In another thriller, former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka battled past Serbian Laslo Djere 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-4 after two hours and 49 minutes to set a blockbuster clash against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“It’s not the best prize, but it’s always special to play against him,” Wawrinka said in his on-court interview. “I’m not where I want to be yet with my game, with my fitness level, with my mental [game]. I need those matches, so to have a chance to play against the best player, it’s going to be really difficult for me, that’s for sure.

“I’m not ready to compete I think at that level, but it’s what I need. I need those challenges. I need to push myself as much as I can to keep improving.”


Wawrinka went 15 months between tour-level wins as he recovered from two left foot surgeries. The Swiss star needed just two days to earn his next victory in Rome.

After rallying from a set and a break down Monday against Reilly Opelka in the first round, the Swiss overcame a break deficit in the deciding set against Djere. Wawrinka was not at his flying best, often choosing to play longer rallies and use his backhand slice to try to gain an advantage. When he did unleash his powerful groundstrokes, they sometimes missed the mark.

But the 37-year-old’s fighting spirit was at its peak. After breaking back for 3-3 in the decider, Wawrinka put his index finger to his head to reflect that. Although Djere played daring tennis — especially on the forehand side — to save three match points, he was unable to dismiss a fourth. The Serbian missed a forehand long and Wawrinka cracked a wide smile as he looked to his team and the fans at the Foro Italico roared their approval.

“Tonight was a big fight. [There was] big support from the fans, it’s always something special,” Wawrinka continued on court. “At my age, after all I’ve done in my career, that’s one of the main reasons why I’m still playing. It’s to get the chance to play in front of the fans.”

In his post-match press conference, Wawrinka expanded on his feelings: "It was tough battle, that's for sure. Amazing atmosphere. Great to play those matches. That's exactly what I need.

"I was feeling in general great. I'm happy with the fight, I'm happy [with] what I've done, the way I finished. As I say, I need those matches. I need the competition. You cannot practice that feeling. You cannot practice that feeling of nerves, stress, the way you feel during the match, the way the body reacts. It was a bit up and down with my body, but I finished really strong, was feeling much better at the end. I'm happy with that win."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/sinner- ... -wednesday

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