"I was struggling really to get back in shape" - Wawrinka following 60th Top 10 win
ATP
Stan Wawrinka admitted that he struggled to get back into shape after spending a lot of time away from the courts. Still, he managed to beat Casper Ruud at the 2022 Swiss Indoors in Basel.
Wawrinka's win over Ruud at the ATP 500 event in Basel was his 60th win over a Top 10 opponent on the ATP Tour. The experienced Swiss player felt the support of the home crowd, the same way Dominic Thiem felt it during his comeback win at the event played in Vienna.
Without any major difficulties, Wawrinka, who used his protected ranking to enter the event in his home country, defeated the second-seeded Ruud 6-4, 6-4. After the match, the Swiss player admitted he was nervous, but he enjoyed the atmosphere in Basel.
"It's super special. A lot of emotion being back here in Basel with the Swiss fans. It's always been amazing for me to play here [but] it's always been difficult because I am always nervous when I enter this court. I always want to show my best."
After the match, the World No. 194 player in the ATP Rankings took a while to reflect on how difficult it was for him to get back where he is now.
"It took me a little bit of time to adapt to the court, but the level was great, and I'm really happy with that. This is one of the main reasons why I keep on playing. I'm getting old, that's for sure. I had to fight the last two years with the injury, surgery."
"Coming back was not easy. I was struggling really to get back in shape physically and tennis-wise. So to be able to produce that tonight here in Switzerland is, of course, something really special, and hopefully, I can keep playing well."
In the second round of the event, Wawrinka will play against Brandon Nakashima. The three-time major winner will want to make fans in Switzerland happy once again.
