ROLAND GARROS

May 26, 2025

Stan Wawrinka

Press Conference

J. FEARNLEY/S. Wawrinka

7-6, 6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Stan, sorry about today. Can you walk us through the match. What do you think was missing?

STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, was a tough match. He was playing well. The level in the first set was quite good. I think he played just a bit better. He had a better level than me today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. I guess I'll bring up a fairly obvious question. In the context of what's been happening, any thoughts of stepping aside? What are your thoughts? Where are you at now career-wise?

STAN WAWRINKA: I'm here in front of you after losing first round of French Open (smiling).

Yeah, I am of course close to the end. I'm not stopping right now, that's for sure. I'm getting closer each week, that's for sure.

Yeah, in general I think I'm still playing some good tennis. I still move well. I still enjoy. All those loss are getting more difficult to swallow.

It's always about the balance with the sacrifice and everything you're doing on one side to be at that level. You need to kind of have some wins in the other side. So far I'm not getting too many wins. Not enough.

But yeah, we'll see. Just finish French Open, so we'll see what's going to come in the next few weeks.

Q. What in your career has given you the most satisfaction? What are you most proud of tennis-wise?

STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, I think I achieved way more than what I could dream of when I was young. My dream was to be a professional tennis player, to have a chance to play those Grand Slam, to be in the main draw. I had the chance to win three of them, a chance to achieve some amazing things for Switzerland also with Davis Cup and Olympics.

Yeah, I'm quite happy with what I've done so far.

Q. It's obviously 10 years since you did win here. Do you still get the same sensations, that same feeling when the crowd is getting behind you?

STAN WAWRINKA: Yeah, I think this never change. This is about the passion of the sport. This is about the emotion that I'm enjoying the most. I'm really grateful to have so much support, so much people cheering and waiting for me on court, trying to help me win more matches.

It is also one of the main reason why I keep pushing myself, is to have a chance to be able to play those match like today. Even is a tough one to lose because losing is never good.

But the support is something so special.

Q. Have you thought about where you might play next?

STAN WAWRINKA: Not yet.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Do you think winning the tiebreak in this match would have changed anything?

STAN WAWRINKA: Of course it would have been nice to be ahead of my opponent at that point. I'm very frustrated today, very disappointed. Physically and technically I think I'm still at a really good level. I train a lot. After a match, I'm really hesitant, I have trouble trusting myself.

All these years of experience behind me, having gone through these situations before, I still ask myself too many questions and question myself. I should have more automatic reactions when I play tennis. That's the price I pay now against these types of players.

I'm too hesitant. I don't trust myself. Obviously my level of play goes down when I feel like that.

Q. Are you satisfied a little bit for today? You said you still enjoy it, right?

STAN WAWRINKA: Well, passion and enjoyment, they are both still here today. The main satisfaction is having the crowd on my side, having so many people supporting me, encouraging me. When there is this amazing atmosphere, it's absolutely wonderful.

I know I will never find that in any other career I might have from now on. Obviously if I look at everything that is going on, yes, I am still enjoying tennis. Then again, obviously it's important for things to be balanced.

On the one hand there's all this sacrifice, all the efforts, all the training and the discipline it requires at 40 years of age to still be at a reasonably good level.

On the other side, you should at least have a return on investment, winning matches. It's getting increasingly difficult.

Q. What is going to go on in the next weeks and months for you? Obviously I don't want you to quit tennis at all, but people do things differently.

STAN WAWRINKA: I think retirement from tennis is something extremely personal. I don't know exactly how I'm going to handle that yet.

Let's say there's no guarantee that I will be back at the French Open next year. If I don't win a few matches, if my results don't get my ranking higher, then I will not come back whether as a wild card or anything else.

That might give you some answers for now.

As for the next few weeks, well, the clay season is coming to an end. I did everything I could to try to keep a really good level of play. I'm quite satisfied with what I'm still able to do physically and technically.

You need to have results because I'm a competitor. That's what I am. And even if I enjoy and I'm passionate, I play to win. Now it's a little one-sided since the beginning of the year. I haven't found results yet.

Q. I've watched a lot of matches in the challengers. How do you compare these matches you played with today's match? Were you more hesitant today because you're in a Grand Slam?

STAN WAWRINKA: A Grand Slam is always going to be very different compared to a challenger. There's a lot of pressure. All the emotion that you feel when you're here, the stress, the thoughts that you might have are exponentially higher in a Grand Slam compared to a challenger.

But now the way I was playing was just not good enough to go further than the first round. Lately, most of my matches are good ones. I still haven't found the key.

In Aix I was okay. I won more matches. It gave me a little more oxygen to be able to go further. Today the level between No. 30 and No. 120 is very small. You can see so many matches that can go one way or another, with me or anyone else.

There's much less difference today between lower and higher rankings.

Q. We see Magnus in your box. What does he tell you? What advice does he give you? Can we have a little insider info?

STAN WAWRINKA: Well, it's a little early for me to tell you what has been said to me after the match. We only had a chance to exchange a few words.

He's a competitor, as well. If he's still with me it's because he believes in me. You should see all the effort we do together in training to get a better level of play.

Obviously it's extremely disappointing for him when I don't win. That's not what he's looking for, obviously, when he's training me.

As I said before, I'm 40 today. I still believe that I'm a really good player, have a really good level, both physically and technically. That being said, during matches there are still things that are going south. I've seen that too many times.

Q. Do you think you could still go on playing challenger tournaments because the atmosphere was quite amazing, wasn't it?

STAN WAWRINKA: Well, I said for me I don't think challengers are tournaments of a lesser level at all. Everything I have ever played in my career has value. It all depends on what I intend to do and where I want to go from here.

But my first aim would obviously be to win a few more matches, up my ranking a little so I don't have to ask for wild cards. That's an easy answer. You only need really to have a good program.

Disappointments in the last few weeks are getting harder and harder to swallow. I think a reality check is important here.

Q. Do you have a romantic relationship with the first times? The last times are not always the best. Do you think maybe this is the last time I'm living this, the last time I'm in a press conference in the French Open?

STAN WAWRINKA: Well, of course. I ask myself this every single day. Sometimes I think maybe it's the last time I'm here. Chances are that it's my last French Open.

But it's all a part of what's going in my head right now. All those thoughts that are really difficult for me to detach from. When you train, there are so many things that you have been working on for so long that should come easily. But that's not always the case.

Q. Will you be in Gstaad?

STAN WAWRINKA: Well, obviously, unless I decide to stop playing tennis tomorrow I will be in Gstaad, at home. If I decide to continue playing, well, obviously today I lost a match and it doesn't feel good. Tomorrow's another day. I'm definitely going to feel better. I'm not going to stop playing from one day to the next just because I lost. I will be in Gstaad.

Q. Was that your idea the pattern you have here at the base of your neck?

STAN WAWRINKA: No, it was Younes. It was very funny. It was a good idea.