Wawrinka set for Dubai challenge
dubai — Stanislas Wawrinka is back in the Dubai Tennis Championships after eight long years. And the two-time Grand Slam champion says he is looking forward to playing in one of the toughest ATP 500 tournaments in the world.
“For many years I didn’t play here and I wanted to change a few things in my calendar, like I did a few years ago when I went to South America to play on clay. I came back a few years ago to Europe. So it’s a mentality thing. The last time I played here, it was 2008. So it feels like a new tournament. I think it’s good to change the schedule a little bit sometimes,” the world number four said during a media interview on Sunday.
Wawrinka just came back from an indoor tournament in France where he lost in the quarterfinals. “It can be tough for sure, but I think the fact that I have already practised this morning, I am practising tomorrow and playing Tuesday, it should be OK,” he said when asked about the pressure of adapting to the outdoor game after playing an indoor tournament.
“We play eight months of the year on outdoor courts, so it should be OK. Today I felt good. I was happy with the way I was spinning the ball, the way I was moving. So let’s see how I can feel for the first match,” said Wawrnika who will take on Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine in the first round on Tuesday. It was Stakhovsky who beat him in the French tournament on Friday. “Now I feel good. I practised this morning. Arrived really late yesterday from Marseille but still had time to practice, so I was happy. “In general, I have worked hard after the Australian Open at home. I did a lot of fitness training. I know I didn’t play that well in Marseille, but that’s part of the game. Sometimes you don’t play good tennis. So hopefully I can start to play better here.”
The French Open champion said he has overcome the Australian Open disappointment. “It was not an easy tournament. I lost to (Milos) Raonic in five sets. I wasn’t feeling great. “I wasn’t on top of my game, but I am still positive. I won the Chennai title. That was really good for me.
“It is really important for me if I can get some trophy. So that was something really positive. But let’s now see what’s going to happen in the next few months. “In general, I think I am playing well, I am moving well. I am doing the right things, so I am sure the results will come.”
Wawrinka admitted that world number one Novak Djokovic, who could be his final opponent in Dubai, is playing at a different level. “Yes, he is dominating tennis for sure. He has been playing at a different level from the rest of the players, winning all the big titles… almost, except a few last year. “So he is there. He is No 1 by far. He has started the year the way he stopped it last year. So it’s going to be tough to beat him this year, for sure, but I am sure, there will be some opportunities for the other guys.”
Wawrinka has been the only man to have beaten Djokovic twice in Grand Slams in the last two years.