Stan Wawrinka is pleased that he has already clinched a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals, but admits that he felt pressure in Basel this week, where he lost his opening match. The Swiss, ranked No. 4, has been sliding of late, losing opening-round matches in his last three tournaments to Mikhail Kukushkin (Basel), Gilles Simon (Shanghai), and Tatsuma Ito (Tokyo).
āFor me, itās like Gstaad, Iām too nervous, Iām tight. I think too much about what to do in the match, and I always make a bad choice,ā Wawrinka said. āBut thatās life, and I have to accept that. So far, itās my best year and Iām quite happy with the year Iāve had. It was just a bad day.ā
Wawrinka is scheduled to play the Paris Masters, the ATP World Tour Finals in London, and also the Davis Cup final,Ā where Switzerland will travel to France.
āThere is always pressure; I always put pressure on myself, want to doĀ well, always want to play well,ā Wawrinka said. āI didnāt play greatĀ at all in Asia. Twice I lost in the first round, so Iām looking for myĀ confidence to get some wins. Iām really focusedā¦I think I had a reallyĀ great week of preparation, practicing really hard with [my coach] MagnusĀ [Norman], and Iām feeling good on the practice courts."