Stan Wawrinka didn't enjoy a lot of Grand Slam action in recent years, and his return to Wimbledon was very disappointing for the Swiss player.
In the past few seasons, the Swiss player has not played many majors. In 2020, the grass-court major at Wimbledon was not held, and Wawrinka missed the US Open. He then competed at the 2021 Australian Open, reaching the second round before losing to Marton Fucsovics in five sets: 5-7, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(9).
Wawrinka then missed four consecutive Grand Slams, from the 2021 Roland Garros until the 2022 Australian Open. His return to majors happened at the French Open this year, which he won in 2015, but this time, he lost to home wild card Corentin Moutet in four sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-7(2), 3-6.
After that, Wawrinka made his way to London for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tournament he didn't manage to win in his tennis career and the only one in which he never got past the quarter-final stage.
The three-time Grand Slam champion faced the tenth-seeded Jannik Sinner in the first round. After the first two sets, the score was leveled, but the experienced Swiss player couldn't get to any breakpoint opportunity in the following two sets, which resulted in a four-set loss to the young Italian, 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6.
After the match, Wawrinka was clearly not happy with what happened on the court. He thought that during his practice sessions, he showed that he was capable of producing a higher level than he did against Sinner.
"I’m disappointed with the way I was playing today, with the level I got. I think I have been pushing myself way better during practice. I was expecting more, and I’m for sure disappointed with the loss."
"There are some positives. Right now, I’m more disappointed than happy with what happened. I could have done much more. I was really frustrated in the match to see the level I was producing today."
Still, Wawrinka tried looking for the positives in his loss. This motivated him to keep working, as he felt that with confidence, he would be able to perform better on the tennis courts.
"I think I need to keep going, keep working out. I’m thinking a bit too much. I’m looking for confidence, and I need wins for that. A match like that doesn’t help. That’s part of the process, and I need to stay positive."
"I need to go back to practice and keep doing what I’m trying to do, keep improving in the practice to hopefully get some wins."