Playing a tournament the week before the start of a grand slam is sometimes a risky business, but for Stan Wawrinka it appears to be a blessing.
Last week the Swiss player returned to his home country to play in the Geneva Open. Cheered on by his friends and family, along with a supportive crowd, Wawrinka dropped two sets on route to the title. Facing Germany’s Mischa Zverev in the final, the three-time grand slam champion battled back from a 4-6 deficit to claim his first title of 2017.
“I don’t think I was really at the best of my shape when I started the tournament in Geneva, but coming here (to Roland Garros) I feel great. I feel in good shape. I think the best thing I could do was to win Geneva.” Wawrinka said during his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday.
Prior to his Geneva success, the 32-year-old has been struggling on the clay. In three tournaments, he had only won three matches. At both the Rome and Madrid Masters he failed to progress beyond his second match. A sharp contrast to his American performance in March where Wawrinka reached the Indian Wells final followed by the quarter-finals in Miami. It is for this reason why his Geneva success was perfect timing for him.
“The beginning, early season on clay was not good. It really had a negative impact on my confidence. So being able to win matches was very important. It sort of was able to create some reverse and build confidence.” The current US Open champion explained.
“I think in Geneva I was finally able to find that confidence again.”
In one respect, Roland Garros is a perfect venue for Wawrinka, who is a player the blossoms when playing on the biggest stages in tennis. This was illustrated at the 2015 tournament, when he stunned Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on route to claiming his second major title. An achievement he continues to praise.
I think 2015 French Open was probably the tournament I played the best tennis. I was playing really strong, really heavy. I was feeling really good with my tennis
Seeded third in the tournament, Wawrinka will start his campaign against qualifier Jozef Kovalik on Tuesday. Since making his Roland Garros debut in 2005, he has won 32 out of 43 matches played.
