Stan Wawrinka’s quest to the final of the ATP World Tour Finals has come to a crushing end after he suffered a straight sets loss to compatriot Roger Federer.
The loss in London is the 18th time that Wawrinka has lost to the 17-time Grand Slam champion since 2005. Speaking about the reason behind his straightforward loss, the French Open champion concluded that whilst his physical performance was good, he lack the mental edge to overcome Federer.
“If you look today, it’s not that I play really bad. I wasn’t mentally tough enough with myself, I’m not completely there”. Wawrinka admitted.
“I was a break up, then I did two mistakes by going too quick against his forehand, passing the set over to him”.
The 30-year-old has openly said that the style of Federer’s play makes it extremely hard for him. Speaking about Federer’s ability to mixed a variety of shots within his game, Wawrinka said that Federer’s tactic is ‘the perfect game against my game’. Despite defeating the 34-year-old earlier this year at the French Open, overall Wawrinka currently trails the head-to-head dismally at 3-18.
The loss comes at the end of a strong season for Wawrinka, who finished the season within the top 4 for the second consecutive year. In 2015 he produced a personal best Grand Slam win-loss of 21-3, including his run to the French Open title. Outside of the Grand Slams, Wawrinka has also won three ATP titles in Chennai, Rotterdam and Tokyo. Reviewing his season, Wawrinka has described his year as ‘amazing’.
“The year has been amazing again. I didn’t expect to play that well, to be here tonight (at the O2). Being No. 4, winning one Grand Slam and semifinal again in the ATP Finals, I couldn’t expect more”. A reflective Wawrinka said.
“I was quite consistent at the high level. I beat so many top guys. The year, it was an amazing year for sure for me”.
After playing 18 tournaments on the ATP Tour (not counting the Davis Cup), a tired Wawrinka is currently not looking ahead to 2016. Instead the main priority for the 30-year-old is some extended rest.
The Swiss will begin 2016 at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. He will play in a six-strong field which also includes David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal.
Full audio of Stan Wawrinka’s after match press conference
https://soundcloud.com/ubitennis/wawrinka-roger-has-the-game-that-is-the-worst-for-me
