Stan Wawrinka is aiming to enjoy his last year on tour as he said farewell to the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
The 2014 champion lost his opening round match to Sebastian Baez 7-5 7-5 as he couldn’t end his Monte-Carlo career on a happy note.
However, Wawrinka had some great memories in Monaco including matches against Roger Federer and his 2014 triumph.
Reflecting on these occasions Wawrinka was happy to have some success in Monaco, “Incredible memories, of course,” Wawrinka told the ATP website.
“It was my first and only Masters 1000 [title]. Plus, here in Monte-Carlo… I I grew up on clay. All my youth, I dreamt of these clay tournaments, with all these clay specialists. So Monaco was one of my favourite tournaments to watch. I was fortunate to be able to win it, to play against Roger that year. Moreover, we were playing in the Davis Cup, we were really close, we spent a lot of time together.
“We warmed up before the final. Matches against Roger have always been more complicated with our relationship. It’s true that managing to get beyond that and win the tournament was exceptional.”
Although Wawrinka had a successful career it’s not the trophies or the money that is the best part of Wawrinka’s job.
The three-time Grand Slam champion says the passion of the game is what has kept him in the sport for so long, “I am a child from a village, from a farm, who dreamed of being a professional tennis player, with one goal: to always give my best every day, to be able to progress, to constantly push all my limits, without ever putting up barriers,” Wawrinka stated.
“But never having the goal of winning a Grand Slam or being No. 1 in the world, just trying to continuously be better, and that’s what I’ve tried to do throughout my career. I managed at one point in my career to really reach the maximum I could by winning for four years, winning Grand Slams, winning Masters 1000s, winning other tournaments. But in the end, for me, it’s the love of the game and the passion that allowed me to do that every day consistently and have a goal.”
Ahead of the rest of the clay court season Wawrinka will be enjoying his last year on the tour as he aims to win more matches before his career draws to a close, “Of course these days and weeks are really, really difficult, but in the end it’s worth it,” Wawrinka claimed.
“I’m passionate about the sport. I love what I do. I know it’s my last year trying to do the best I can. Hopefully I can win a few matches this year to enjoy that feeling of winning.”
