Last year, Stan Wawrinka won his last match at the Australian Open, but that all changed when he triumphed at the 2022 Italian Open for the first time in 15 months.
Stan Wawrinka won his first match at the 2022 Italian Open, defeating Reilly Opelka 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, bringing him his first ATP victory in a year and three months. The Swiss had a rough start, falling 3-6, 2-4, 40-AD. He used all of his previous experience in Rome, though, to defeat the tall American in three sets. He expressed his delight at the victory after the match when he said:
“I think in general I was feeling good on the court. Physically I was feeling great. For sure when you don't win a match in more than a year, you start to think about it more than you should and not focus on the right things. In general I think it was a great match, great battle. I stayed positive. I started to feel much better with my tennis by the end of the second set, and [in] the third set. I'm really happy with this victory.”
“You just have to stay positive and try to fight. If you get a bit lucky, if you show him that you're going to stay there, you are going to get some chances. I got some chances, I played better, and he started to miss a few.”
“After two surgeries, at my age I could easily have stopped playing because my career is way better than what I expected when I was young. But I still have this fire in me. I still believe that I can play great tennis. I still believe that I make some big results, maybe not now, but in a few months."
“There is no shortcut. I needed to do that time on the court and off the court. It was a long time I was out. I gained some weight, it was tough. With foot surgery you can't do much. I needed a lot of effort to be back, but already in the last few weeks since [Monte Carlo] it is much better.”
“[Thiem and I] practised quite a lot [in Marbella]. I always enjoy practising with him, he's an amazing player. But I think every injury is completely different. We all have a different mindset to come back."
“The reality is that it takes time. You need to accept it. You need to do the right work. He is a hard-working player. He will come back for sure. But it takes time. It's not only about the fitness side. It's not only about the tennis game. It's also about the mental part. You have to connect everything together to be able to play your best tennis again.”
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